ITS QUANTITY OF ALBUMEN. 245 



we may hope to attain to a true humoral pathology ; for, doubtless, 

 all the metamorphoses in the blood proceed from the albumen. 

 We must bear in mind the numerous conditions by which the 

 quantity of albumen in the blood may be changed ; this may be 

 effected, not merely by augmentation or diminution of the serum 

 or of the water, but also of salts or extractive matters, by absorp- 

 tion of albumen from the other juices or its loss by exudations 

 or copious excretions, by rich and abundant nutriment, &c. A 

 glance at merely those analyses in which the albumen of the blood 

 has been actually determined by a good method, will indicate the 

 difficulties of attempting to answer such questions. 



The quantity of albumen in venous blood increases considerably 

 during digestion. 



F. C. Schmid found on an average 6'68 of albumen in the 

 serum from the jugular veins of horses which had been starved 

 for a long time before they were killed ; while in corresponding 

 serum, when the animals had been fed shortly before their death, 

 he found 9'08-g-. 



There is less albumen contained in arterial than in venous 

 blood, as was discovered long ago by F. Simon. In the serum of 

 the venous blood of the horse I found 1 1'428 J, and in that of the 

 arterial blood 9*2l7f of albumen. In the residue of the serum of 

 the venous blood there were, however, 15*3 parts of extractive 

 matters and salts to 100 of albumen ; while in that of the arterial 

 blood there were 15*7 parts of extractive matters to 100 of 

 albumen. 



The serum of portal blood is regarded as poorer in albumen 

 than that of the jugular veins; Schmid found on an average 5'19g- 

 of albumen in this serum when obtained from fasting horses, and 

 6-7 1 when they had been well fed; in horses which had been fed 

 from 5 to 10 hours previously to their being killed, I found from 

 6*015 to 6'997 of albumen. In the solid residue of the portal 

 serum I found that the albumen stood to the other constituents in 

 the ratio of 100 to 22-5, the horse having been killed five hours 

 after feeding. 



The albumen in the serum of the hepatic venous blood of horses 

 which were killed from 5 to 10 hours after feeding only varied 

 between 10'487 and 10'702-g-; hence the serum of the blood of the 

 hepatic veins is far richer in albumen than that of the portal or 

 jugular veins ; but if we compare the other solid constituents of 

 the serum with the albumen, we find a diminution of the albumen 

 in the serum of the hepatic veins, as contrasted with that of 



