COMPOSITION OF THE BILE. 261 



tive knowledge of the excrementitious function of the liver 

 is due to the recognition of cholesterine, an invariable con- 

 stituent of the bile, as one of the most important of the 

 elements of excretion. 



Composition of Human 



Water .......................................... 915'00 to 819'00 



Taurocholate, or choleate of soda (NaO,C 6a H 46 XOi4S 2 ) 56-50 " 106-00 



Glycocholate, or cholate of soda (XaOjCsa^aNOn) ____ traces. 



Cholesterine (C 25 H 23 0) ............................ 1'60 to 2-66 



Biliverdine ...................................... 14'00 " 30*00 



{. 8 . 2Q 31 . QO 

 Margarine, oleine, and traces of soaps . )' ' 



Choline (C 10 H 13 X0 2 ) .............................. traces. 



Chloride of sodium ............................... 2'77 to 3*50 



Phosphate of soda ............................... 1-60 " 2'50 



Phosphate of potassa ............................. 0'75 " 1'50 



Phosphate of lime ............................ ____ 0'50 " 1'35 



Phosphate of magnesia. ........................... 0"45 " 0*80 



Salts of iron. .................................... 0'15 " 0*30 



Salts of manganese ............................... traces " 0"12 



Silicic acid ...................................... 0'03 " 0'06 



Mucosine ....................................... traces. 



Loss.. 3-45 to 1-21 



1,000-00 1,000-00 



There are no peculiarities in the composition of the 

 bile, as regards its inorganic constituents, which demand 

 more than a passing mention. It contains no coagulable 

 organic principle, except mucosine, and all of its constitu- 

 ents are simply solids in solution. The quantity of solid 

 matter is very large, and the proportion of water relatively 

 small ; but in comparing its proportion of water with that 

 of other fluids in the body, as the blood-plasma, lymph and 

 chyle, milk, etc., it must be remembered, as is suggested by 



1 This table of the composition of the bile is compiled from Robin (Lemons 

 sur les humeiirs, Paris, 1867, p. 542). In making up the table, the difference be- 

 tween the sum of the constituents and 1,000 has been put in as " loss." We 

 have omitted leucine, tyrosine, and urea, as their existence as proximate prin- 

 ciples of normal bile is doubtful. 



