138 



by Pettenkofer's method. On adding strong sulphuric acid the fluid 

 underwent further coagulation, and the liquid portion became of a 

 beautiful rose colour. It remains to be determined whether the 

 white of the egg contains any of the elements of the bile, or whether 

 Pettenkofer's method fails, as a discriminating test of the bile, in the 

 presence of soluble albumen. 



Having thus established the fact that the mucous membrane of 

 the gall-bladder is capable of producing changes on the bodies and 

 under the circumstances above stated, it became an important object 

 of inquiry whether the hepatic fluid proper is capable of being in- 

 fluenced by its contact ; but how are we to isolate this secretion ? 

 If we take a portion of ox-liver, bruise it down, express the fluid, 

 doubtless containing a large proportion of liver-bile, and place this 

 fluid under an exhausted receiver over sulphuric acid, if in sufficient 

 quantity for examination, it will be decomposed before evaporation 

 is completed. The same fluid undergoes changes also very rapidly 

 at a slightly elevated temperature. It was found in fact that from 

 the temperature of 34 C. to about 60 C. putrefaction is easily 

 produced in ox-liver, whereas, if plunged into water at the boiling- 

 point, no considerable changes of a putrefactive nature occurred. 

 Supposing then we plunge a very thin slice of liver into boiling 

 water, we at once coagulate the albumen, or rather such portion of it 

 as is insoluble in boiling water ; we break up the hepatic vessels and 

 obtain a fluid containing a considerable quantity of hepatic bile. It 

 was found better not to keep up the boiling for any lengthened time, 

 as the solution, in that case, contains much soluble albumen. The 

 liquid then having been allowed to boil for a few minutes, was 

 removed from the fire and strained through a cloth ; the turbid 

 solution cooled as rapidly as possible ; the upper portion poured off 

 from the deposit, and thus experimented upon. 



Diluted acetic acid caused no precipitate, nor was any perceptible 

 reaction produced by Pettenkofer's method, which would seem to 

 indicate that the reaction observed in the white of the egg was not 

 occasioned by the presence of albumen. 



December 21, 1855. As in the previous cases, a portion of well- 

 washed mucous membrane was covered with the above solution and 

 exposed to a temperature of 38 C., 39 C. being considered as the 

 maximum temperature of the ox. In half an hour, on applying 



