60 



ENDOSMOSE. 



LECT. III. 



the skin which, in the torpedo, covers the electric organs, 

 or that which covers the back ; and that we detected no 

 difference by employing the skin of the belly or that of the 

 back of the frog. 



Endosmose of different Liquids. We undertook a long 

 series of experiments to determine the respective forces of 

 endosmose with different liquids, through the three skins 

 above mentioned. For this purpose three endosmometers 

 were simultaneously prepared ; one with the skin of the 

 torpedo, a second with the skin of the frog, and a third 

 with eel skin ; in all the cases the skins were placed with 

 their external surface towards the interior of the instru- 

 ment, which contained sometimes a solution of sugar or 

 of albumen, sometimes gum water or alcohol. The en- 

 dosmometers were plunged into a glass vessel filled with 

 spring water : this arrangement presented the advantage 

 of enabling us to observe immediately the difference in the 

 height of the liquids when traversing the three kinds of 

 skins. The following table shows the intensity of endos- 

 mose of each of the liquids when traversing the different 

 skins : 



Relative Intensity of Endosmose through different Shins. 



This table proves, 



1st. That with the skin of the torpedo the current of en- 

 dosmose is strongest when we use a solution of sugar, of 

 gum, or of albumen, for the internal liquid. 



