302 



SECRETION 



ever, do not exist in sufficient quantity to render the liquid very opaque, 

 and they frequently are aggregated in rounded or irregular masses, held 

 together, apparently, by some glutinous matter. Peculiar corpuscles, 

 supposed to be characteristic of the colostrum, always exist in this secre- 

 tion. These are known as colustrum-corpuscles. They are spherical, 

 varying in size between ^Vo" and "5Fo f an mcn Ooand 50 /JL), are 

 sometimes pale, but more frequently quite granular, and they contain 

 very often a large number of fatty particles. They behave in all 

 respects like leucocytes and are described as a variety of these 



bodies. Many of them are precisely 

 like the leucocytes found in the blood 

 and lymph. In addition to these cor- 

 puscular elements, a small quantity of 

 mucin frequently may be observed in 

 the colostrum on microscopical ex- 

 amination. 



On the addition of ether to a 

 specimen of colostrum under the mi- 

 croscope, most of the fatty particles, 

 both within and without the colostrum- 

 corpuscles, are dissolved. Ammonia 



Fig. 64.- Colostrum from a healthy lying-in add e d to the lk l uid renders it Stringy, 

 woman twelve hours after delivery ,X4Oo(Funke). an d sometimes the entire maSS as- 



The smaller globules are globules of milk. sumes a ge l a tinOUS Consistence. 

 The larger globules, a, a, filled with granules, 



are colostrum-corpuscles. As lactation ad- In its Composition, Colostrum pre- 



vances, the colostrum-corpuscles gradually dis- sentg many points Q difference from 



true milk. It is sweeter to the taste 

 and contains a greater proportion of 

 The proportion of fat is at least equal 

 to the proportion in the milk and usually is greater. Instead of casein, 

 colostrum contains a large proportion of serum-albumin ; and as the 

 character of the secretion changes, the albumin gradually becomes 

 reduced in quantity and casein takes its place. 



The following may be taken as the ordinary composition of colostrum 

 of the human female (Clemm) : 



appear, and the milk-globules become more 

 abundant, smaller and more nearly uniform in 

 size. 



sugar and of the inorganic salts. 



COMPOSITION OF COLOSTRUM 



Water -. ;' . . .. ,- . . ,'. . . ... 



Albumin, and salts insoluble in alcohol . 



Butter . ' .'I ... ; . , .' ,.. r . . . 



Sugar of milk, extractive matters and salts soluble in alcohol 



Loss 



945.24 

 29.81 



7*97 



17.27 



0.61 



1000.00 



