VOL. XC.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 730 



very nearly deprived of the whole of its gelatinous part, is not easily brought into 

 the putrid state. A small quantity was kept moistened with water, during the 

 whole of last April ; in the course of which time it acquired a musty but not a 

 putrid smell ; neither were the fibres reduced to a pulpy mass*. I am inclined 

 therefore to suspect, that strong and completely formed muscular fibre, considered 

 as a distinct substance, is not of easy putrescibility ; and that the readiness with 

 which muscle in general enters into putrefaction, is principally owing to the gelatin, 

 which is combined and mixed with it, in a large proportion, as a component part, 

 and which, with the natural quantity of moisture, is requisite to give the fibre a 

 proper degree of toughness and flexibility. The residuum afforded by muscular 

 fibre which had been long steeped in dilute nitric acid, and afterwards immersed 

 in ammonia, consisted chiefly of fat, mixed with a small portion of the fibre which 

 had not been sufficiently acted on by the acid; and little or no earthy matter was thus 

 obtained. But when the prepared muscular fibre was dissolved in boiling nitric 

 acid, a complete solution, resembling that of albumen, in its general properties, 

 was formed ; and some fat floated in drops at the top of the liquor. Ammonia 

 was then added, so as to super-saturate the acid, and produced the same effects as 

 on the nitric solutions of albumen, excepting that a copious white precipitate was 

 obtained. This precipitate, while moist, was agitated with a quantity of acetous 

 acid, which dissolved, and separated, a small portion of phosphate of lime; but the 

 remainder, and by much the greatest part of this precipitate, was scarcely attacked, 

 even when the acid was boiled. When exposed to a red heat it became dark gray, 

 and then nearly white ; after which it was in the state of carbonate of lime. 



Another part was dissolved in nitric acid, and lime was precipitated by carbonate 

 of soda. The slight excess of the latter was then saturated by acetous acid ; and 

 the whole was boiled, to expel the carbonic acid ; after which the liquor, from its 

 effects on solutions of lime, barytes, &c. evidently contained oxalic acid in solu- 

 tion : the precipitate was therefore oxalate of lime, mixed with a very small quan- 

 tity of phosphate of lime. 200 gr. of the dry muscular fibre, dissolved and boiled 

 with nitric acid, afforded 17 gr. of this precipitate. Though it is known that the 

 gelatinous liquor obtained from muscle by boiling water, contains phosphate of 

 soda, and of lime, yet I did not imagine that the greater part of the latter could 

 be so completely separated. I therefore in some measure repeated the experiment 

 on the muscle of veal ; and found phosphate of soda, and of lime, in the liquor. 

 But when the muscle was afterwards dissolved in boiling nitric acid, and the 

 solution was saturated with ammonia, I was surprized to find that, though the 

 same change in colour was produced as in all the former experiments, the liquor 

 remained transparent ; and even after several days only a few scattered particles 

 appeared at the bottom of the vessel. Another experiment was made on the recent 



* A portion of this muscular fibre was kept under water 2 months ; it did not however become 

 putrid, nor was it converted into that fatty substance which is obtained from recent muscle under 

 similar circumstances. — Orig. 



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