GLOBULIN. 369 



while the soluble salts contained a large quantity of alkaline car- 

 bonates, namely 1671^. 



Now as the ash of non-coagulated globulin contains no alkaline 

 carbonate, we may conclude that in soluble globulin soda is com- 

 bined with an organic substance either with the globulin itself or 

 with an organic acid, and that after the destruction of the globulin 

 this free alkali combines with the sulphuric acid produced from the 

 globulin, which would account for the circumstance that the ash of 

 the collective globulin contains no alkaline carbonate ; if, on the 

 other hand, the soluble salts are separated from the globulin on 

 its coagulation (in the same manner as albumen on coagulation 

 loses its alkali) they contain much alkaline carbonate after the 

 combustion of the organic substance not separated with the coagu- 

 lated globulin, for here there is no formation of sulphuric acid to 

 decompose the alkaline carbonates. No alkali occurring in the ash 

 as a carbonate, can, according to my view, be combined with the 

 globulin previously to its coagulation, for the following reason. 

 The solution of globulin from the crystalline lens has a distinct, 

 although a very faint alkaline reaction; during the process of 

 coagulation we may easily show that it developes ammonia, and 

 afterwards the fluid does not, as in the case of albumen, exhibit a 

 stronger alkaline reaction, but on the other hand is now acid ; this 

 phenomenon cannot be more simply explained than by the assump- 

 tion that there is phosphate of soda and ammonia in the fluid, for the 

 solution of this salt has an alkaline reaction, loses ammonia on 

 boiling, and finally assumes an acid reaction when the salt is thus 

 converted into acid phosphate of soda. Now if globulin were con- 

 tained in this fluid, no acid reaction could ensue after its coagula- 

 tion, because the soda separated from the globulin would take the 

 place of the ammonia that escaped from the phosphate. Hence 

 this soda which is combined with carbonic acid in the ash of the 

 residue from which all globulin has been removed, must have been 

 previously in combination with an organic acid. If for the present 

 we regard this organic acid as lactic acid, until the subject can be 

 more accurately investigated, we can scarcely be charged with 

 adopting too bold an hypothesis, since this acid cannot at all events 

 be one of the volatile acids of the animal body. We are unfortu- 

 nately still compelled to rest upon such deductions as these in our 

 endeavour to investigate the nature of the salts held in solution in 

 association with animal substances, since as we shall subsequently 

 see (when treating of " the mineral constituents of the animal 



2 B 



