COMPUSITIOX OF SPUTUM 275 



Tho amount of fats seems to (icpoiul directly ui)on the number of 

 pus-corpuscles and the age of the pus (i. e., the amount of fatty de- 

 generation). Jacobson found from 0.08 to l.G grams of fatty matter 

 per day, containing on an average 14.70 per cent, of soaps, 15.79 per 

 cent, of higher fatty acids, 0-10 per cent, of water-soluble fatty acids, 

 13.58 per cent, lecithin, and 10.49 per cent, cholesterol. 



As to the inorganic substances, Bamberger found two types of spu- 

 tum, catarrhal and inflammatory. In the inflammatory there is a 

 deficiency in alkali phosphate, SO3 constitutes more than 8 per cent. 



of the salts, and the ratio, -^Y) equals ..• In catarrhal sputum 



the alkali phosphates constitute 10-14 per cent., j^ ^ = ^q' ^"d the 



SO3 is from 0.6-1.2 per cent. Chlorine is about the same in both 

 forms. These differences are, however, not as constant as Bamberger 

 believes, according to several later investigations. The results of his 

 analyses are shown in the following table: 



Table IV 



Chronic Acute 



phthisis phthisis 



Water I 94.55 | 93.38 



Organic matter 4 . 67 6 . 88 



Inorganic salts . 78 . 74 



One hundred parts of the salts contain: 



Chlorine 35.78 33.40 



SO., 0.70 0.80 



P2O6 13.05 14.15 



K2O 24.07 19.99 



NaoO 27.90 31.69^ 



Calcium phosphate 1-63 4 . 32'* 



Iron phosphate 0.09 0.14 



Magnesium phosphate 1 . 20 .... 



Ca and Mg carbonate and sulphate 1 . 74 . 22 



Silicic acid 0.9 0.3 



-^ Including magnesium. 



