BRAIN, ETC. 427 



his own researches. The numbers in each instance represent 

 the mean of six analyses : 



Infants. Youths. Adults. Aged persons. Idiots. 



Water . . . 82-79 74-26 72-51 73-85 70-93 



Albumen . . . 7-00 10-20 9-40 8-65 8-40 



Fat . . 3-45 5-30 6-10 4-32 5'00 



Osmazome and salts . . 5-96 8-59 10-19 12-18 14-82 



Phosphorus . . 0-80 1'65 1-80 1-00 0-85 J 



According to Vauquelin, the medulla oblongata and the spinal 

 cord contain the same constituents as the brain, but a larger pro- 

 portion of fats and a less amount of albumen, extractive matter, 

 and water. 



[I/Heretier found that the spinal cord of an adult was 



composed of: 



Water . . .71-05 



Albumen . . . 7'30 



Fat . . 8-25 



Osmazome . . .11-50 



Phosphorus . . .1*90 



The nerves, according to the same chemist, contain more 

 albumen, less solid and more soft fat than the brain.] 



On boiling the nerves in alcohol a fluid fat exudes which sinks 

 to the bottom of the vessel : on boiling them with water they 

 swell but do not dissolve. The albumen of the medullary portion 

 dissolves in a weak solution of potash, the fat swims on the sur- 

 face, and the neurilemma remains. On treating the nerves with 

 acetic acid the medullary portion is expressed by the contraction 

 of the tubes, which are themselves unacted on. 



Fat. 



The fat contained in the fat-cells is a mixture of margarin 

 and olein in man and the carnivora, of stearin and olein in the 

 ruminantia. Human fat usually occurs in a fluid or semifluid 

 state, consisting of a solution of margarin in olein, from which 

 the margarin separates on cooling into microscopic stellar 

 groups. 



The Glands. 



Our knowledge of the chemistry of the glands is very defec- 

 tive, and in all probability the analysis of these organs will 

 never throw much light on the process of secretion in conse- 

 quence of the utter impossibility of separating the nerves, ves- 



