350 SEMINAL FLUID. 



epithelial scales and mucus- corpuscles, R. Wagner also found 

 finely granular, pale, sharply outlined molecules, the seminal 

 granules, which vary in size from G'0016"' to O'Ol'"; there are also 

 minute fat-granules and molecular matter. 



The intercellular fluid of the semen, which derives it origin less 

 from the testes than from Cooper's glands, the seminal vesicles, 

 and the prostate gland, gelatinizes after its discharge; Henle 

 regards the gelatinizing substance as fibrin, while Berzelius com- 

 pares it with mucus, although he does not regard the two as 

 identical. This substance has been named spermatin ; it is, how- 

 ever, probably nothing more than basic albuminate of soda, with 

 which it coincides in most points ; the fluid does not become 

 turbid on boiling; after evaporation, this albuminous substance 

 becomes insoluble in water ; a dilute alkaline solution redissolves 

 the matter precipitated by the water, which is again thrown down 

 on the further addition of concentrated solutions of the caustic 

 alkalies or their carbonates ; the solid residue of the fluid is only 

 partly soluble in water, and partly also in alcohol ; on the addition 

 of acetic acid to the watery solution, a flocculent precipitate is 

 thrown down, which redissolves in an excess of the acid, and is 

 precipitable from this solution by ferrocyanide of potassium ; this 

 precipitate is soluble in concentrated nitric acid. Although all 

 these properties coincide with those of albuminate of soda (see 

 vol. i., p. 332), we must not hence conclude that this substance is 

 simply albuminate of soda, but we are even less justified in 

 assuming the presence of a special substance, spermatin, or even of 

 ordinary fibrin. 



Both the water-extract and the alcohol-extract of the seminal 

 fluid doubtless contain albuminate of soda, as far as we can con- 

 clude from the investigations of Vauquelin ; but we cannot decide 

 whether in addition to this there are special extractive matters, as in 

 the other animal juices, since the quantity of seminal fluid that 

 can be collected is always too small for such investigations. 



The salts of the serum may be easily recognised in the seminal 

 fluid; we find however, that the latter contains phosphate of lime, 

 and especially phosphate of magnesia, in preponderating quantity ; 

 we can readily convince ourselves of the presence and quantity of 

 the magnesian salt by placing semen between two glass slips which 

 are united by varnish (in the same manner as microscopic objects 

 are put up), and allowing it to decompose ; we then observe the 

 separation of innumerable crystals of phosphate of ammonia and 

 magnesia amongst the uninjured spermatozoa; many have fol- 



