ON THE PATHOLOGICAL MORPHOLOGY OF SOME FLUIDS. 197 



Concentrated muriatic acid 1,200, nitric 1,170, sulphuric 1,090, 

 butter of antimony, and oil of tartar, quickly renders the cell of epithe- 

 lium perfectly pellucid, so that it is withdrawn from all further obser- 

 vation. 



Of Mucus produced from irritation of Mucous Membranes. 



The mucus of an irritated mucous membrane of the nostrils is white, 

 pellucid, scarcely more consistent than the albumen of a hen's egg ; 

 exposed to the air the greatest part evaporates, and a very thin pellucid 

 lamella remains. Distilled water is easily mixed with it. 



Under the microscope, besides a few cells of epithelium, it is seen to 

 contain round globles from four to five times larger than those of the 

 blood ; a few of them are of a white colour, perfectly round, with ex- 

 tremely thin pellucid envelopes, enclosing very small molecules. Plate 

 7, figs. 3, 4; figs. 11, 12, 1820. 



Of Mucus produced from Catarrhal (i. e. lighter} Inflammation. 



Mucus from catarrhal (i. e. milder) inflammation of the mucous 

 membranes of the nostrils, conjunctive, fauces, larynx, bronchi, 

 urethra, vagina, and of alimentary tube, has a greater consistence 

 than that produced from irritation of these membranes. It is transpa- 

 rent, very tenacious, yellowish-white, thick, drawn out to a thread-like 

 glue, dries more slowly in air, and a turbid, greyish-yellow elastic 

 lamella remains. In distilled and river- water it falls to the bottom (if 

 bubbles filled with air shall not have been mixed with them) ; exposed 

 for a longer time to water, it is not changed, except that it swells some- 

 what and becomes whiter ; exposed to a flame it burns and emits an em- 

 pyreumatic odour. 



Investigated by means of the microscope, I beheld : 



1. An amorphous greyish- white mass, not changeable by water. 



2. Spherical whitish-yellow globules, the larger the quantity in the 

 mucus the more intense the yellow colour ; the diameter of the globules 

 taken from a catarrh of the larynx exceeded eight times that of the 

 blood- discs. These globules intimately cohered with the amorphous 

 mass in which they appeared immersed, and were composed of a very 

 thin diaphanous envelope, which was easily broken when made tense by 

 shaking it with water ; not agitated in water it is not broken, on account of 

 the tenacious amorphous mass in which the globules are found immersed. 

 In the middle, and oftentimes out of the centre towards the edge, is seen 

 a perfectly round vesicle, which exceeds in size twice the diameter of 

 the blood-discs ; it either appears to be empty or filled with some pel- 



