3/6 THE EXCRETIONS : 



mutton, and about two ounces of bread. He had the same quan- 

 tity of mutton for supper at 8 p.m. At each meal he drank half a 

 pint of ale, and no other liquid during the day ; nor, it must be 

 remembered, had he any other vegetable matter besides the small 

 quantity of bread mentioned. He walked seventeen miles daily. 



1st Analysis : 5-35 grs. gave of HO 3-43 or H 7'12g, of C0 2 9'73 or C 49'60g. 

 2cl Analysis : 5-74 grs. gave of HO 3-62 or H 7'Olg, of C0 2 10-52 or C 49.98g. 



The difference between these two analyses, in respect to the 

 carbon, is greater than should be allowed, but I had not time 

 to make a third analysis. 



Incineration : 31'42 grs. gave of ash 4-56, or 14-51$. 

 Mean C . . . 49-79^ 

 H 7-06 



'06 I 

 J-64 f 



N*0 . . 28-641 

 Ash . . . 14-5lJ 



" I should observe that, in drying this specimen, towards the 

 end of the process a small quantity of liquid condensed on the 

 surface of the tube communicating with the vessel of water, 

 which was clear and colourless, had a peculiar and extremely 

 offensive odour, and which powerfully reddened litmus. I had 

 not sufficient leisure to examine it more minutely at the time." 1 ] 



The faeces during disease. 



In certain pathological conditions, the faeces frequently un- 

 dergo very important modifications. These changes cannot be 

 due to any peculiarities in the ingesta ; they must originate in 

 an alienated mixture or separation of the secretions of the 

 chylopoietic viscera. This irregularity may lead to imperfect 

 chymification, in w r hich case matters will be carried off with the 

 faeces, which, if they had been properly digested, would have 

 entered the vascular system ; or, in consequence of the changed 

 process of secretion, substances which are normal secretions 

 may be separated in too large a quantity, as, for instance, 

 water; or substances which ought to be present, are entirely 



1 I strongly suspected the matter to be butyric acid, and my suspicion has since 

 been much strengthened by my examination of a specimen of pure butyric acid which 

 1 had an opportunity of seeing in London, at the Pharmaceutical Society. Besides, 

 Dr. Erwin Waidele, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at Professor Graham's, 

 informed me that Dr. Ragsky of Vienna has discovered this acid in the fceces. 



