THE FCETAL INTESTINES AND LIVER. 125 



intestines substances have been found similar in character to those contained 

 in the intestines of children, in whom no such malformation had existed 



„,,.. iaaal tc • ?:.]fif-t :.■;», t..,.i.»..-.y-> fi_{. 



-^•'on« Note by Dr. Provt. ; ■■ <* 



The principal chemical facts ascertained by me having been introduced by 

 Dr. Lee in the preceding paper, it only remains that I should briefly state the 

 manner in which these facts were determined. 



The most unequivocal test of the presence of albuminous matter that I am 

 acquainted with, is the prussiate of potash assisted by dilute acetic acid, as 

 first recommended by Berzelius ; and this accordingly was the test on which 

 the chief reliance was placed in my experiments. But the presence of albu- 

 minous matter was also satisfactorily indicated by other means ; as by heat, by 

 the oxymuriate of mercury, &c. Besides the albuminous matters, however, it 

 may be proper to mention that others were pi-esent, to which this term, even 

 in its most extended sense, could not be strictly applied, and for which in the 

 present state of animal chemistry, it was difficult to find a precise term ; a large 

 proportion of them appeared to be nearly allied to mucus and bile, though they 

 did not exactly agree with these principles as they occur in the adult state. 



I cannot close this note without observing how forcibly I was struck by the 

 close resemblance between the phsenomena, as above described, and those 

 presented by the intestinal canal, when the processes of digestion and assimi- 

 lation are known to be going on ; and that I cannot at present conceive any 

 other source from whence the matters in question can be derived, than the 

 hepatic system as supposed by Dr. Lee. 



se rapprocherait de celle de I'adulte. Cette hypothese, d'apres laquelle I'ecoulement dii mucus serait 

 du a I'irritation des membranes muqueuses par la bile, est ingenieuse, mais pen probable. Elle obli- 

 gerait, en effet, a admettre que le tube alimentaire exerce deux actions totalement differentes a 

 I'egard du mucus, I'une en vertu de laquelle ce mucus est forme, et I'autre qui a pour but de le 

 transformer ensuite et de le convertir en chyle.'^'i mom. o iTU] r.: 



;i;b di/fRfi iup .lijrui. 

 ' 'rjiolmno'J olbubfi^g noiJBsilfim- 



