COMPOUNDS IN THE BLOOD. 35 



Flesh of the Verlehroe, 

 1,000 parts, leave — 



Dry substance, . ' 250.0 



Wliich contains — 



Nitrogen, . . 40.0 



Mineral substance, 15.0 



Consisting of — 



Polassa, 5.0 



Phosphoric Acid, 6.5 



Lime and Magnesia, 0.5 



Sulphuric Acid, 0.5 



Chloride of Sodium, Soda, Sesquioxide of Iron, Silica, . . . 2.5 



"We believe, as I previously mentioned, that the chloride of 

 sodium is partly decomposed in the animal system, although we 

 do not yet know how it is brought about ; for our stomach in its 

 normal condition contains always some free muriatic acid. The 

 serum of the blood of our herbivorous animals resembles closely 

 in its composition, as far as its mineral constitutents are con- 

 cerned, that of the human blood ; it contains at least three parts 

 of soda to one part of potassa, although these animals do live 

 on a food in which the potassa largely predominates ; the bile 

 contams almost exclusively soda compounds, whilst the juice of 

 the flesh of herbivorous, as well as the carnivorous, animals, 

 contains almost exclusively chloride of potassium. It is under 

 these circumstances, most likely, that the potassa of the vege- 

 table food continually decomposes the chloride of sodium (or 

 salt) by forming chloride of potassium, which is subsequently 

 constantly and copiously secreted, particularly in the urine, 

 whilst the sodium combines with the phosphoric acid and the 

 various peculiar organic acids, which were either previously 

 combined with potassa, etc., or were formed in the course of the 

 assimilation of the food. Whatever we may think about the 

 details of the mode by which these changes may be accom- 

 plished, we have to acknowledge that the observations stated are 

 pointing in that direction. One important feature of a more 

 general character must have become prominent in the dis- 

 cussion of my subject, namely, the decided preference of the 

 animal economy for soda compounds ; for we notice, that al- 

 though our domesticated herbivorous animals do live on a food 

 in which potassa compounds largely predominate, they accumu- 

 late soda compounds, and reject to a considerable degree the 



