AZOTIZED MATTERS THE CAUSE OF PUTREFACTION. 319 



action resembles a peculiar power, attached to a 

 body in the state of combination or decomposition, 

 but exerting its influence beyond the sphere of its 

 own attractions. We are now able to account satis- 

 factorily for many known phenomena. 



A large quantity of hippuric acid may be obtained 

 from the fresh urine of a horse, by the addition of 

 muriatic acid; but when the urine has undergone 

 putrefaction, no trace of it can be discovered. The 

 urine of man contains a considerable quantity of 

 urea; but when the urine putrefies, the urea entirely 

 disappears. When urea is added to a solution of 

 sugar in the state of fermentation, it is decomposed 

 into carbonic acid and ammonia. No asparagin* 

 can be detected in a putrefied infusion of asparagin, 

 liquorice-root, or the root of marshmallow (^AlthcBa 

 officinalis). 



It has already been mentioned, that the strong 

 affinity of nitrogen for hydrogen, and that of carbon 

 for oxygen, are the cause of the facility with which 

 the elements of azotized compounds are disunited ; 

 those affinities aiding each other, inasmuch as by 

 virtue of them different elements of the compounds 

 strive to take possession of the different elements 

 of water. Now since it is found that no body desti- 

 tute of nitrogen, possesses, when pure, the property 

 of decomposing spontaneously whilst in contact with 

 water, we must ascribe this property which azotized 

 bodies possess in so eminent a degree, to something 

 peculiar in the nature of the compounds of nitrogen, 

 and to their constituting, in a certain measure, more 

 highly organized atoms. 



Every azotized constituent of the animal or vege- 

 table organism runs spontaneously into putrefaction, 

 when exposed to moisture and a high temperature. 



Azotized matters are, accordingly, the only causes 

 of fermentation and putrefaction in vegetable sub- 

 stances. 



* A peculiar principle obtained from asparagus. See Brande's 

 Chemistry^ p. 1042. 



