396 DIGESTION. 



from the bile, and is a peculiar modification of cholesterine. 1 

 Analyses of the faeces have also been made by Simon and 

 Percy, 2 Hiring, 3 Lehmann, 4 and many others. The observa- 

 tions of Simon and of Ihring relate chiefly to the faeces in 

 disease. Most of our statements concerning the composition 

 of the faeces in health will be derived from the researches of 

 Wehsarg and of Marcet, and our own observations. 



The proportions of water and solid matter in the fseces is 

 variable. Berzelius found in the healthy human fseces 73*3 

 parts of water and 26*7 parts of solid residue. 6 The average 

 of seventeen observations by "Wehsarg was precisely the same. 



Dr. Hammond, in a series of observations made upon his 

 own person for five successive days, while in perfect health, 

 found the average proportion of water to the solid matters 

 of the faeces to be as 730 to 270. In a single specimen of 

 perfectly healthy faeces, the entire quantity passed for the 

 twenty-four hours (seven and a half ounces), we found the 

 proportion of water to solid matter to be as Y16 to 284. 



In the observations of "Wehsarg, the mean quantity of 

 solid matter discharged in the faeces in the twenty-four hours 

 was 463 grains ; the extremes being 882*8 grains and 251*6 

 grains. The proportion of undigested matters in the solid 

 residue was very small, averaging but little more than ten 

 per cent. ; the mean quantity in the twenty-four hours in ten 

 observations being but 52*5 grains. This was found, how- 



1 Experimental Researches into a New Excretory . Function of the Liver, con- 

 sisting in the Removal of Cholesterine from the Blood, and its Discharge from the 

 Body in the Form of Stercorine (the Seroline of Boudcf). American Journal of 

 the Medical Sciences, October, 1862. 



2 SIMON, Animal Chemistry with Reference to the Physiology and Pathology 

 of Man, Philadelphia, 1846, p. 671 et seq. 



3 IHRING, Mikroscopish-Chemische Untersuchungen menschlichen Faeces unter 

 verschiedenen pathologischen Verhdltnissen, Giessen, 1852. 



4 LEHMANN, Physiological Chemistry, Philadelphia, 1855, vol. i., p. 517 etseq. 



5 BERZELIUS, Analyse de la Matiere Excrew,entitielle de VHomme. Annales de 

 Chimie, Paris, 1807, tome Ixi., p. 321. 



6 HAMMOND, op. cit. The above is calculated from the results given in the 

 table (loc. cit., p. 18). 



