192 ANIMAL AMIDES. 



parate the sugar of milk. It was then dried at 212. Its con- 

 stituents were, 



Carbon, . 54-825 



Hydrogen, . 7-153 



Azote, . 15-628 



Oxygen, j 2 



Sulphur, / 



100-000 

 Several other analyses gave nearly the same result 



SECTION IV. OF FIBRIN FROM BLOOD. 



When the crassamentum of blood is put into a linen cloth, 

 and carefully washed till all the red colouring matter is remov- 

 ed, the substance which remains has a fibrous texture, and is, on 

 that account, distinguished by the name of fibrin. This name 

 seems to have been imposed by Fourcroy and Vauquelin ; at 

 least I have not observed it in the writings of any earlier chemist. 



It was long the opinion of physiologists, that the globules of 

 the blood consisted of a nucleus of fibrin enclosed in a vesicle of 

 colouring matter. Hence it was supposed was the reason why 

 it exists in the crassamentum. But later observations have con- 

 siderably modified this opinion. Piorry and Scelles de Monde- 

 zert have remarked, that, if we cautiously and rapidly remove the 

 serum which floats on the crassamentum, we will frequently find 

 it become opaline and muddy, and finally covered with a skin 

 analogous, if not identical with fibrin.* According to Muller, 

 if we amputate the thigh of a frog, and after mixing the blood 

 that flows out with an equal quantity of water, holding sugar in 

 solution, throw the whole upon a moistened filter, the red glo- 

 bules, which are very large in that animal, are retained upon the 

 filter, while a colourless and clear liquid passes through. In this 

 liquid, a coagulum of fibrin speedily appears. 



From these facts, there seems no reason to doubt, that the 

 fibrin exists in the serum of blood as well as the albumen, and 

 that the globules consist of the red-colouring matter, and a white 

 insoluble substance analogous to coagulated albumen or fibrin. 

 Indeed, Lecanu has shown, by numerous experiments, that the 



* Lecanu, Etudes Chimiques sur le Sang Humain, p. 43. 



