this, however, occurs only in extremely small quantity, for the 

 greater part of the soda is saturated by the sulphuric acid which is 

 formed during the combustion of the taurocholic acid and the 

 mucus. The sulphuric acid in the ash, resulting from this source, 

 is, however, extremely variable, according to the mode in which 

 the incineration has been conducted. Weidenbusch, who employed 

 Rose's method for the determination of the ash, satisfied himself 

 that, even in this way, a great part of the sulphur contained 

 in these organic substances has volatilized, end therefore does not 

 appear in the ash as sulphuric acid. The researches of all the 

 more recent chemists show that fresh bile contains scarcely a trace 

 of sulphuric acid. A portion, however, of the soda which was 

 in combination with organic substances, is found in the ash as 

 phosphate of soda, a salt which as ordinary phosphate of soda 

 (2 Na O. H O. PO 5 ) most probably exists pre-formecl in the bile. 

 Thus it is easy to see that, under certain conditions, even no car- 

 bonate of soda may be found in the ash. 



In normal human bile, Frerichs* found from 0*20 to 0'25-g- of 

 chloride of sodium, and an equal quantity of phosphate of soda. 

 Theyer and Schlosser found 3'56[f of this salt in the bile of the 

 ox. 



The determination of the mucus in normal bile is not to be 

 depended on, for the bile which has been examined has usually 

 been expressed from the gall-bladder with such force that a large 

 quantity of the epithelium, from the lining membrane of that 

 organ, becomes mixed with the secretion. In ox-bile I found only 

 0*134, and in human bile 0'158-g- of mucus, when I used every 

 precaution to avoid this source of error. 



Very little is known regarding the changes which the bile 

 undergoes under purely physiological conditions. When it has 

 been retained for a long time in the bladder, as, for instance, in 

 cases of prolonged fasting, it is concentrated. A highly nitrogenous 

 diet not only increases the biliary secretion, but likewise renders it 

 more concentrated than ordinary bile. 



As in the case of other secretions and excretions, heterogeneous 

 constituents may find their way into the bile. The older writers 

 have often asserted that the bile contained albumen, but they 

 doubtless mistook mucus for albumen. Albumen is, however, 

 sometimes found in the bile, especially in fatty liver (although 

 rarely), in Bright's disease, and in the embryonic state, In a five- 



* Op. cit. 



