48 



a far greater quantity of the syrupy extract than 

 the serum. That part of the humours of the ca- 

 pillary vessels, which is not intended to be 

 brought back into the blood, is carried off through 

 those organs called secretory and excretory. The 

 fresh humours, which are formed in these organs 

 from the constituent part of the blood> are fre^ 

 quently of the most different character ; but, 

 in comparing them more accurately with each 

 other, I have found, that they all have their own 

 characteristic constituents, among which the 

 greater part still retain some of the characters of 

 the albumen and the fibrin, from which they are 

 produced. I have given them names according to 

 the humours in which they appear* as bilious mat- 

 ter, lacrymal matter, fyc. The humour, in which 

 these characteristic constituents are found to be 

 dissolved, contains the salts of the blood, and of- 

 ten its alkali, in the same quantity as in the blood. 

 Some of the secreted humours are equally con- 

 centrated with the blood, as for instance, the bile; 

 others again are more aqueous, but none are more 

 concentrated than the blood. The secretions, or 

 such humours, as before their discharge are in- 

 tended to be used for some purpose within the 

 body, are alkaline ; the excretions, on the other 



