SOLID PARTS OF ANIMALS. 



solvents, and discovered, besides Vauquelin's white substance, 

 to which the name of cerebrate was given, four other constituents, 

 namely, cholesterin, cephalote, stearoconote, and eleancepholote. 



An elaborate set of experiments on the analysis of the brain 

 was published by Fremy in 1841. * He confirmed the existence 

 of cerebrote and cholesterin, discovered by Vauquelin and Couer- 

 be. But showed that cerebrote, when pure, possesses acid pro- 

 perties, and on that account distinguished it by the name of cere- 

 brie acid. He found also in brain an acid to which he gave the 

 name of oleophosphoric ; which he considers as a compound of 

 olein and phosphoric acid. He extracted also oleic and marga- 

 ric acid from brain, and agrees with Vauquelin in admitting the 

 presence of a considerable quantity of albuminous matter. The 

 cephalote, stearoconote, and eleancepholote of Couerbe, M. Fremy 

 could not obtain. He considers them as mixtures of the differ- 

 ent oily acids contained in the brain, and differing in their pro- 

 perties, and in the proportion of their constituents according to 

 circumstances. 



All that has hitherto been done towards an analysis of the brain 

 is to determine the nature of the substances which are taken up 

 from it by ether and alcohol. After the action of these substances 

 has been exhausted, the residual matter is almost as bulky as ever. 

 And this residual matter has not yet been subjected to exami- 

 nation. It consists, doubtless, of the minute varicose tubes de- 

 scribed by Ehrenberg. The nature of this matter has not hither- 

 to been determined ; but it contains a very great proportion of 

 water. Couerbe's analysis being the completest, it will be proper 

 to state the results which he obtained. The brain was in the first 

 place stripped off the coats which cover it, and washed in cold 

 water in order to deprive it as completely as possible of blood. 



It was then reduced to pulp in a mortar and macerated in cold 

 ether. Four successive macerations were requisite to deprive the 

 brain of every thing which the ether was capable of dissolving. 

 Indeed the first maceration did little more than deprive it of wa- 

 ter. The ether being distilled off, and the residue dried in a 

 capsule to drive off the residue of ether, what remained was a 

 white fatty substance, partly in streaks and partly in grains. 

 When the brain thus treated was from a sound individual, almost 

 the whole of this matter was cerebrote. When the brain was 



* Jour, de Pharm. xxvii. 453. 

 3 



