41 



April 27, 1854. 

 The EARL of ROSSE, President, in the Chair. 



Edward Joseph Cooper, Esq., was admitted into the Society. 



In accordance with the notice given at the last Meeting of the 

 Society, the Right Hon. Lord Ashburton was proposed for election 

 and immediate ballot, to which, as a Peer of the Realm, his Lord- 

 ship is entitled. The ballot having been taken, Lord Ashburton was 

 declared duly elected. 



The following papers were read : 



I. " On the Changes produced in the Blood by the administra- 

 tion of Cod-liver Oil and Cocoa-nut Oil." By THEOPHILUS 

 THOMPSON, M.D., F.R.S. Received March 30, 1854. 



The author has found that during the administration of cod-liver 

 oil to phthisical patients their blood grew richer in red corpuscles, 

 and he refers to a previous observation of Dr. Franz Simon to the 

 same effect. The use of almond-oil and of olive-oil was not fol- 

 lowed by any remedial effect, but from cocoa-nut oil results were 

 obtained almost as decided as from the oil of the liver of the Cod, 

 and the author believes it may turn out to be a useful substitute. The 

 oil employed was a pure cocoa oleine, obtained by pressure from 

 crude cocoa-nut oil, as expressed in Ceylon and the Malabar coast 

 from the Copper ah or dried cocoa-nut kernel, and refined by being 

 treated with an alkali and then repeatedly washed with distilled 

 water. It burns with a faint blue flame, showing a comparatively 

 small proportion of carbon, and is undrying. 



The analysis of the blood was conducted by Mr. Dugald Camp- 

 bell. The whole quantity abstracted having been weighed, the 

 coagulum was drained on bibulous paper for four or five hours, 

 weighed and divided into two portions. One portion was weighed 



VOL. VII. F 



