CHAP. XII.] THE MECONIUM. 461 



on human milk have been analysed by Wegsch eider, who, as the 

 mean of three analyses, found 



Water in 100 parts 8513 



Organic matters 13'7l 



Mineral matters 1*16. 



The nature and amount of the constituent organic matters is 

 exhibited by the following mean of 10 analyses : 



Mucin, epithelium and lime soaps in 100 parts 5 '39 



Cholesterin 0'32 



Fats and fatty acids T44 



Alcohol extractives 0'82 



Water . 5'35 



Inorganic salts T36 



The Meconium. 



This term is applied to the contents of the large intestine of the 

 foetus, which are expelled at, or after, birth. 



Physical The meconium is a dark greenish brown, pitch-like 



substance, devoid of putrefactive odour; it usually 

 possesses an acid reaction. It exhibits, under the microscope, in- 

 numerable cylindrical epithelial cells, united together and often 

 retaining the form of the villi, from which they have become 

 detached. These cells are usually stained of a green colour. Besides 

 epithelial cells, large numbers of cholesterin plates and fat globules 

 are to be seen, as well as crystals of bilirubin. 



Chemical The meconium contains from 20 to 28 p.c. of solid 



matters. These include mucin, bilirubin, biliverdin 

 and bile acids, cholesterin, and small quantities of fats and fatty 

 acids. Zweifel 1 , who has made the most complete modern researches 

 on the meconium, as well as Hoppe-Seyler, found neither lecithin 

 nor hydrobilirubin in it. The latter fact affords evidence that no 

 reduction processes occur in the foetal intestines. 



From the meconium of the calf, Hoppe-Seyler 2 obtained as much 

 as 1 p.c. of pure bilirubin. Besides bilirubin, the meconium contains 

 much biliverdin and a colouring matter which exhibits a narrow 

 absorption band on the red side of, and near to, D, and a broader and 

 darker band between D and E. This colouring matter passes into 

 the ethereal solution when calf's meconium is treated with alcohol, 

 the alcohol distilled off and the residue is treated with ether. The 

 ethereal solution possesses a purple-red colour. 



1 Zweifel, ' Untersuchungen iiber das Meconium,' Archiv f. Gynakologie, Vol. vn. 

 (1875), p. 474. 



2 Hoppe-Seyler, Physiolog. Chem., p. 346. 



