SWEAT. 107 



tected by other chemists. Since the phosphate of lime doubt- 

 less pertains to the epidermis, we may conclude that Piutti 

 removed all the desquamated cuticle before he commenced his 

 analyses. 1 All mention of sulphuric acid, and of potash, is 

 likewise omitted. I have already stated that I only once 

 detected traces of sulphuric acid in fresh sweat, although I 

 always found a considerable quantity of it in the incinerated 

 ash. Piutti has made three analyses of the sweat collected 

 from invalids. They gave the following results : 



1. 2. 3. 



Water . 995-5 993-0 994-6 



Chloride of sodium . 3-0 4-0 3*3 



Phosphate of ammonia . . -5 -8 1-1 



Acetate of ammonia ' . . '5 -6 -5 



Hydrosulphate of ammonia . trace trace 



Extractive matters . . -5 1-6 -5 



The first analysis was made with the sweat of a man aged 36 

 years, who during twelve years had suffered from atonic gout, and 

 had been trying the water-cure for ten weeks. The specific gra- 

 vity of the sweat was 1003*5. The sweat in the second analysis 

 was taken from a woman aged 54 years, who for six years had 

 suffered from gout, and who had been under the water-cure for 

 twelve weeks : its specific gravity was 1004. In the third case 

 it was collected from a girl 22 years of age, suffering from para- 

 lysis of the lower extremities, but in other respects blooming 

 and healthy. The animal matter in this case was of a greenish 

 colour when isolated ; it was soluble in ether, but not in alcohol. 

 The specific gravity was 1003. 



The sweat that was forwarded to me by Dr. Piutti, and 

 which was inclosed in ounce-bottles with ground stoppers, was 

 in a state of decomposition when I received it, and therefore 

 was not in a proper condition for an accurate qualitative ana- 

 lysis. It smelt strongly of hydrosulphate of ammonia, espe- 

 cially a specimen collected from a man who had had psoriasis 

 diffusa for seventeen years. The gray deposit which was found 

 in every bottle consisted of desquamated epidermis. The sweat, 

 to which I have just referred, had a penetrating odour of sul- 



1 Berzelius, however, is of opinion that a portion of phosphate of lime appertains 

 to the sweat itself, and that it is held in solution by a free acid. 



