280 ABSORPTION 



and washing of the tubes with ether, the tubes were dried and 

 re weighed. Thus the weight of the chyle was obtained. The 

 ether was evaporated from the extract, the dry fat dissolved in 



N 

 hot alcohol, and titrated with ^ NaOH, phenol-phthalein being 



used as an indicator. From this was calculated the amount of 

 fatty acid. The neutral alcoholic solution thus obtained was next 

 evaporated almost to dryness, a measured volume of standard 



/N\ 

 alcoholic potash ( added, and the mixture boiled for 20-30' in 



a flask fitted with a reflux tube. The contents were then neutra- 



N 

 lised with -^ HC1, and the difference between the amount of acid 



required to do this, and that necessary to neutralise an equal 

 volume of alcoholic potash, gave the datum for calculating the 

 amount of neutral fat which had been saponified by the alkali. 

 The following is an example of the results obtained : 



Weight of lymph = 1-8712 grm. 



Weight of ether extract = 0'1450 grm. 

 Weight of fatty acid = 0-0042 grrn. 

 Weight of neutral fat = 0'1326 grm. 

 Per cent, of neutral fat = 96 '9 



These experiments of Moore prove that the synthesis takes 

 place in the intestinal mucosa. 



C. A. Ewald submitted soap and glycerine to the action of the 

 fresh minced mucosa, and thought that he obtained evidence of a 

 synthesis of neutral fat. Hamburger confirmed this result, using 

 the mucosa of the large intestine. 



Moore has repeated these experiments, and found that the 

 positive results of these authors were due to faulty methods of 

 analysis. After collection of the chyle Moore removed the in- 

 testine, cut it open and washed it, and then scraped off the 

 mucosa on a glass plate. He found neither the cell-free extracts 

 nor the detached cells of the mucosa capable of synthesising 

 neutral fats. Weighing a portion of the mucosa, he then ex- 

 tracted it with alcohol (one part) and ether (three parts), and 

 then with ether alone. The solvents were decanted off, mixed, 

 and evaporated to dryness, the dry residue extracted with 

 ether, and the ether extract filtered and evaporated to dryness. 



