BRAIN AND NERVES. 269 



Fourcroy. Another fatty matter remained in solution, and was 

 obtained by distilling off the greatest part of the alcohol, and 

 drying the residue by heat. Vauquelin concluded from his ex- 

 periments that the constituents of the brain were 

 Water, . 80-00 



White fatty matter, 4-53 



Reddish fatty matter, 070 



Albumen, 7-00 



Osmazome, . 1*12 



Phosphorus, . . 1*50 



Acids, salts, and sulphur, 5-15 



100-00 



The salts were phosphates of potash, lime, and magnesia and a 

 little common salt. 



In 1816 a number of experiments on the brain of calves and 

 oxen was published by John. * In 1830 Lassaigne gave a che- 

 mical analysis of the retina and the optic nerves, f The retina 

 has been generally considered by anatomists as a mere expansion 

 of the optic nerve, and this opinion has been confirmed by Las- 

 saigne, who found the constituents of each the same, excepting 

 that the retina contained much more water than the optic nerve. 

 The constituents of the retina were, 



Water, .... 92-90 

 Saponifiable fat and cerebrin, . 0-85 

 Albumen, . . . . 6-25 



100-00 

 While the optic nerve gave, 



Water, .... 70-36 



Cerebrin, . . . .4-40 



Osmazome and common salt, . 0-42 



Gelatin, .... 2.75 



Albumen, . . . .22-07 



100-00 



In 1834, M. Couerbe published an interesting set of experi- 

 ments on the brain. :f He employed both alcohol and ether as 



* Chemische Untersuchungen, iv, 160. 



t Ann. de Chim. et de Phys. xlv. 215, $ Ibid. Ivi. 160. 



