ON MATTEE AND FOKCE. 57 



other fibrinogenic. The first is especially 

 plentiful in the red corpuscles, the serum of the 

 blood, the cellular tissue, and the cornea. The 

 second is found in exudations, especially in the 

 pericardium and fluid of hydrocele, in lymph 

 and chyle. When these two substances come 

 into contact in any fluid, they combine quickly 

 or slowly, according to the greater or less 

 quantity of each substance, to form fibrine. 

 The action takes place more quickly at a high 

 temperature, more slowly at a low temperature. 



You see these two substances here. The 

 paraglobulin or plastic substance has been 

 obtained from serum or blood-corpuscles ; the 

 fibrinogenic substance from pericardium-fluid. 

 Apart, they never form fibrine. When mixed 

 together, they form it quickly, as you see, 

 although they have been already many hours 

 in these flasks. 



All idea, then, of a vital action in the coagu- 

 lation of the blood must be given up, although 

 much more has to be made out of the chemistry 

 of these substances, and especially of the 

 paraglobulin, which is, according to Professor 

 Briicke (Proceedings of the Imperial Academy of 

 Sciences, May 23, 1867), a mixture of two sub- 



