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matters. GEOFFROY endeavoured to ascertain 

 how much could be extracted from them by wa- 

 ter, and the different quantity of nutritious sub- 

 stances, which might he obtained from the flesh 

 of different animals. THOUVENEL next gave 

 us an analysis of flesh, which he considered as com- 

 posed of the muscular fibres, properly so called, 

 and a peculiar extract, soluble in alcohol and 

 water. I have since found, that flesh contains 

 near I of its weight of fluid ; that this fluid con- 

 tains a, free acid, and that the extract, which 

 THOUVENEL, described, is the same acid sy- 

 rupy mass, which is met with in milk and urine, 

 and which consists of lactic acid, lactate of alkali, 

 salt, and the animal matter, which is united with 

 these salts in the form of an extract. I have en- 

 deavoured to prove that this extract is not a con- 

 stituent part of the flesh, but that it has belonged 

 to the absorbents, and that it consists principally 

 of the decayed particles, which have been either 

 absorbed by them, or were ready to be absorbed 

 when life was extinguished. The fluids of the 

 ilesh abound much more in this syrupy extract, 

 and contain more phosphate of soda, than the 

 blood j and from this, I have concluded, that those 

 matters, which are formed by the decay of the 

 parts, are absorbed and introduced into the blood, 

 in order to be. discharged with the urine, in which 



