270 PHYSIOLOGY AT THE FARM. 



exhibits remains of the food that has been recently taken ; 

 vegetable cells, hairs, and spiral vessels are seen in abundance. 

 In the human faeces, muscular fibres coloured yellow and cor- 

 roded by the bile, yet still retaining distinct striation, are 

 constantly found. A peculiar comminuted faecal matter, con- 

 taining partially-destroyed epithelium, is described. Starch 

 is often found. Crystals of ammonio-phosphate of magnesia, 

 when the evacuation is neutral or alkaline, are always present. 

 Berzelius remarked on the large proportion of phosphate of 

 magnesia very constant in the human faeces. " This salt," he 

 says, " is traced to bread, in which it exists in considerable pro- 

 portion." " As," he continues, " the bones and solid parts of 

 man contain in general less of this salt than the corresponding 

 textures in herbivorous animals in general, it would seem that 

 the absorbent vessels of the intestinal canal in man are much 

 less disposed to take up this salt than those of such herbivor- 

 ous animals." 



Amorphous fat is a constituent of the human faeces, yet it is 

 doubtful if crystals of cholesterine occur. Connective tissue is 

 found only after a very abundant flesh-diet. The ether extract 

 of faeces varies much according to the nature of the food ; after a 

 very fatty diet it rises very much above the average proportion. 

 It consists, for the most part, of a waxy fat. The alcohol extract 

 is also rather variable it hardly ever affords indications of bile ; 

 hence it appears that, as a general rule, no bile occurs in an 

 unchanged state in the faeces. The water extract is a brownish- 

 black mass, which uniformly undergoes decomposition in dry- 

 ing. Its average quantity is about 20 per cent of the dried 

 faeces. The quantity of salts contained in the human faeces, 

 as compared with the quantity of salts found in the urine, is 

 very small. Indications of chlorine are more frequently dis- 

 covered than those of sulphuric acid. The salts precipitable 

 by ammonia vary in different individuals. After a dose of 



