246 BLOOD. 



the portal vein ; for while I found the ratio of the albumen to the 

 other solid constituents to be 100 to 22*5 in the serum of the 

 portal blood, it was as 100 to 3 8 -4 in that of the hepatic venous 

 blood. That the albumen in the blood of the hepatic veins 

 is not merely relatively, but also absolutely diminished, is more- 

 over obvious from the composition of the collective blood ; in the 

 portal blood we find far more serum than in the blood of the 

 hepatic veins ; so that on an average I found that the albumen of 

 the portal blood was to that of hepatic venous blood in the ratio 

 of 3 : 2. 



When the intercellular fluid of 1000 parts of portal blood con- 

 tained 24*453 parts of albumen, 16*553 parts were found in the 

 intercellular fluid of an equal portion of hepatic venous blood ; 

 hence the albumen in the two intercellular fluids was in the ratio 

 of 100 : 67*7 5 in another case the ratio was as 29'606 : ]9'806, or 

 as JOO : 66*9; and in a third case (10 hours after feeding) as 

 44*330 : 32'447> or as 100 : 73*1. Hence, from these numbers, we 

 cannot entertain a doubt that on an average 30'2 of the albumen 

 conveyed to the liver is converted in this organ into other sub- 

 stances, and is probably for the most part applied to the formation 

 of cells. 



The reason why Simon* found so few blood-corpuscles in the 

 blood of the hepatic veins, is entirely dependent on the analytical 

 method which he employed. 



The amount of albumen has been found to be diminished in 

 the following diseases : in simple ephemeral and remittent fevers 

 (only slightly diminished), in severe inflammations, in the later 

 stage of typhus (Becquerel and Rodier), in scurvy (where, as is 

 shown by Andral and Gavarret, Becquerel and Rodier, and Favre,t 

 it is considerably diminished), in malaria (Salvagnoli and GozziJ), 

 in puerperal fever (Scherer), in dysentery (Leonard and Follcy,|| 

 and C. Schmidt), in Bright's disease, and in dropsy from various 

 organic changes (as was asserted by the older observers, and accu- 

 rately demonstrated by C. Schmidt). The quantity of albumen in 

 the serum has been found to be increased in intermittent fevers 

 (Becquerel and Rodier), after drastic purgatives, and in cholera (C. 

 Schmidt). 



* Journ. f. prakt. Ch. Bd. 22, S. 1 18. 



t Compt. rend. T. 25, p. 1136. 



t Gaz. de Milano. No. 30, 1843. 



Untersucliungen, &c. S. 7469. 



|| Rec. des Me'm. de Chim et de Pharin. milit. T. 60, 1846. 



