354 THE ACTION OF THE BILE ACIDS ON PROTEIDS. [BOOK II. 



completely as do tannic or phospho-tungstic acids. On the other 

 hand, taurocholic acid preciptates neither albumoses nor peptones. 



Second. The precipitate which occurs when taurocholic acid is 

 mixed with a solution of albumoses or peptones is composed of 

 taurocholic acid. 



Third. Glykocholic acid neither precipitates native albumins 

 nor albumoses and peptones. When crystallising from a solution, 

 glykocholic acid may, however, carry down with it mechanically 

 traces of albumoses. Further, glykocholic acid, unlike taurocholic 

 acid, is not precipitated by albumoses or peptones. 



The whole of the facts which we have endeavoured to bring to- 

 gether establish that when the addition of bile, which contains both 

 glykocholic and taurocholic acid, to chyme, leads to a precipitate, this 

 may contain, firstly a precipitate of parapeptone or antialbumat, 

 thrown down by taurocholic acid : secondly, a precipitate of glyko- 

 cholic acid, due to the mere acidity of the mixture, if the quantity of 

 taurocholic acid in the bile was very small: thirdly, a precipitate 

 of taurocholic acid. Both the second and third of these are very 

 readily soluble in faintly alkaline solutions, and excess of bile, there- 

 fore, readily dissolves the precipitate which at first occurred. 



It follows from the researches of which an account has been 

 given that bile which contains taurocholic acid, typically that of the 

 carnivora, can effect a very perfect precipitation of native albumin 

 or of syntonin, if any should exist in solution and what is much 

 more important of the parapeptone, which is incapable of further 

 action by pepsin, and which always is present in greater or less 

 quantity, however long the process of gastric digestion has gone 

 on. That such a precipitation is actually to be observed in the duo- 

 denum, firmly adhering between the villi, is asserted by so infallible 

 an observer as Klihne 1 , who, however, states that a little further 

 down the precipitate is no longer observed. This precipitation has 

 been supposed to favour the action of the pancreatic juice upon the 

 albuminous bodies which have escaped conversion into albumoses, 

 for it is only the former, as we have shewn, which are precipitated. 



It appears to the Author that the precipitation of the chyme by 

 the bile, which chiefly leads to the temporary separation of the bile 

 acids, may be of special importance in placing the latter under con- 

 ditions which will favour their decomposition and rapid reabsorption. 

 All facts seem to give support to the view first advocated by Schiff 

 (see p. 278 et seq.) and to shew that very soon after the bile has been 

 deflected from its normal course into the alimentary canal, the solid 

 matters which it contains and which consist principally of the salts 

 of the bile acids, undergo a great diminution : whilst very soon after 

 the bile has been allowed to resume its normal course the bile acids 

 in the bile increase. May not then the absorption of the bile and, 



1 Kiihne, Lehrbuch, p. 99. 



