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more extensive and very accurate analysis of the 

 urine, and FOURCROY asserts on this occasion, 

 (in his Systeme des Connoissances Chymiques) 

 that he and VAUCIUELIN had known the circum- 

 stances, which constituted the most remarkable 

 part of CRUIKSHANK'S analysis, several years 

 before that Chemist. FOURCROY and VAUQUE- 

 LIN examined the phenomena of the putrefaction 

 of urine, and the decompositions and new combi- 

 nations which take place in the process, and their 

 work was the most complete analysis in Animal 

 Chemistry, at that time known. PROUST has 

 since made further experiments on urine, and 

 has found in it carbonic acid, carbonate of lime, 

 and a peculiar resin, like that of the bile, which, 

 however, seem all to have been formed in 

 the operation. THENARD has since endea- 

 voured to show, that the free acid in the urine is 

 not phosphoric acid, but acetic. Last of all, I 

 have taken up the investigation of this subject, 

 and have obtained results which have escaped the 

 attention of my predecessors. I found that the 

 free acid of the urine was not acetic, nor phos- 

 phoric acid ; but that it belonged to two acids 

 peculiar to the body, viz. the lactic and the uric 

 acid j and I have proved the presence of the for- 

 mer in urine, by several experiments, which I 



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