154j Sir'E. Home o?i the Formation of Fat 



" Ej:p. 3. Portions of the contents of the rectum were 

 " treated in the same way, as in experiments 1 and 3. That 

 " in water became putrid very rapidly, and shewed no ap- 

 " pearance of fat. The other, in the diluted nitric acid, was 

 " more dissolved than in Experiment 2. Considerable extri- 

 " cations of gas took place, but there was no appearance of 

 " fat/' 



From these experiments, we learn that the contents of the 

 caecum, being confined there for some days, are in a state 

 readily to be converted into fat by nitric acid, while the 

 contents of the rectum are not, probably from being too 

 putrid. 



While engaged in this enquiry, I received from Sir Joseph 

 Banks the carcase of a wild swan, which the Hon. Mr. Pelham 

 had shot in the neighbourhood of the Humber. On examining 

 the C2eca, their contents were found to be of a bright green 

 colour. This led me to propose to Mr. Brande to ascertain 

 by experiment, whether an admixture of bile had any effect 

 upon the process of converting animal substance into fat. The 

 following experiments were made by Mr. Brande upon this 

 subject. 



Exp, 1 . He took two portions of human muscle of the same 

 size, and digested one of them in human bile, the other in 

 water, both placed in the temperature of 100**. — In the first 

 day the muscle in the bile underwent no change. On the 

 second day it became soft in its texture, and had a slightly 

 fetid smell. On the third day it became more fetid and yel- 

 low. On the fourth it had the smell of excrement, was flabby, 

 very offensive, and fatty upon the surface. The portion of 

 muscle, digested in water, had undergone no other change in 



