

91 



being P006, no spontaneous coagulation taking place after standing 

 for some time ; that removed on the third occasion had a slightly 

 yellow tinge, and a distinct coagulum formed in it on standing. The 

 presence of fibrine in this instance was owing doubtless to some 

 slight inflammation having been set up, caused by the successive 

 puncturings. The three specimens corresponded in the following 

 characters : 



1st. No precipitate on applying heat, merely an opalescence being 

 produced ; on the addition of a few drops of nitric acid a white flaky 

 precipitate subsided. Nitric acid alone, without heat, also caused 

 a precipitate. 



The non-precipitation of the albumen, until the addition of the 

 acid, was owing to the alkalinity of the fluid. 



2nd. Boiled with liquor potassae a very faint pinkish tint was pro- 

 duced ; a few white flakes also fell down. 



3rd. Heated in a water-bath with the blue oxide of copper, in a 

 few minutes the yellowish red powdery suboxide precipitated. 



This reaction took place both in the original albuminous liquid and 

 after the coagulation of the albumen by heat and nitric acid. 



4th. A piece of flannel, saturated with the chloride of tin, was 

 well moistened with the fluid, and then heated over a red-hot coal ; 

 no brown colour of the flannel was produced, such as occurs when 

 grape-sugar is present. (Maumene's test.) 



5th. A portion mixed in a test-tube with some German yeast was 

 placed for several hours in a warm cupboard, but there was no deve- 

 lopment of gas. 



From these experiments it appears that of the various tests em- 

 ployed, only one gave any indication of the presence of grape-sugar, 

 that test also being the one which is most liable to deception. The 

 lowness of the specific gravity, in which respect this fluid and that 

 analysed by M. Deschamps closely corresponded, would, a priori, 

 almost lead to the assumption that no grape-sugar was present. 



The presence of the reducing agent could not in this case depend 

 upon any irritation of the origin of the vagus, for the irritation, if 

 any, produced by a spina bifida is at the end of the cerebro-spinal 

 axis furthest removed from the origin of that nerve. That the ma- 

 terial however which effects this reduction is of a very changeable 

 nature, was shown by allowing a portion of the fluid to stand for 



