o6 BILE. 



may, however, be regarded as representing with tolerable accuracy 

 the mean composition of the bile. 



Normal human bile contains, according to the determinations 

 of Frerichs,* about 14-g-, or a little more, of solid constituents ; 

 ox-bile, from 10 to 13-8- ; and pigs' bile (according to Gundelach 

 and Streckerf) from 10*6 to 11'8-g-; the amount of water may, 

 however, be as variable in the bile as in most other animal 

 secretions. 



Gorup-BesanezJ found 9*13^ of solid constituents in the bile 

 of an old man, and 17*19-8- in that of a child aged twelve years; 

 but whether the bile is always more diluted in old age than in 

 childhood, is a question that must be decided by further investi- 

 gations. 



The organic constituents of human bile amount to about 87^ 

 of the whole solid residue ; and much the same ratio seems to 

 obtain in the bile of animals. 



Berzelius obtained 12*7-8- f asn fr m tne residue of ox-bile; 

 and Bensch 13 -15^ from that of calves' bile, 11-86 from that of 

 sheeps' bile, 13'21f from that of goats' bile, 13'6 from that of 

 pigs' bile, 12'71-g- from that of foxes' bile, 10'99 from that of fowls' 

 bile, and 14*1 l-g- from that of the bile of fresh-water fishes. 



The alkaline tanrocholates and glycocholates constitute by far 

 the greater part of the organic constituents, and amount to at least 

 75-g- of the whole of the solid constituents of the bile. 



The investigations of Bensch and Strecker show that the bile 

 of most of the animals included as yet in their experiments, con- 

 tains a preponderating quantity of taurocholate of soda. As 

 taurocholate of soda (Na O. C 52 H 44 N O 13 S) contains 6% of sul- 

 phur, we may readily estimate the taurocholic acid contained in 

 any quantity of bile, from the amount of sulphur contained in the 

 portion soluble only in alcohol. Schlieper|| found 6'2-g- of sulphur 

 in purified serpent's bile, that is to say, in its alcoholic extract ; in 

 that of the dog, Bensch found 6'2-g-, but Strecker only 5*9$ ; in 

 that of the fox, Bensch found 5 '96^; while in that of the sheep, 

 Strecker found from 5 "7 to 5*3$. Hence we perceive that the bile 

 of these animals contains taurocholic acid almost exclusively, while 

 ox-bile, whose alcoholic extract contains only 3-- of sulphur, con- 



* Hannov. Ann. Bd. 5. H. 1 u. 2. 



t Ann. d. Ch. u. Pharm. Bd. 62, S. 205-232. 



Untersuch. iiber die Galle. Erlangen, 1846, S. 44. 



Ann. d. Ch. u. Pharm. Bd. 65, S. 215. 



II Ibid. Bd. 60, S. 109. 



