ORIGIN OF GELATINE. 129 



According to the first formula, carbon and hydro- 

 gen have been separated ; according to the two 

 last, a certain proportion of all the elements has 

 been removed. 



19. We must admit, as the most important re- 

 sult of the study of the composition of gelatinous 

 tissue, and as a point undeniably established, that, 

 although formed from compounds of proteine, it no 

 longer belongs to the series of the compounds of 

 proteine. Its chemical characters and composition 

 justify this conclusion. 



No fact is as yet opposed to the law, deduced 

 from observation, that nature has exclusively des- 

 tined compounds of proteine for the production of 

 blood. 



No substance analogous to the tissues yielding 

 gelatine is found in vegetables. The gelatinous 

 substance is not a compound of proteine ; it con- 

 tains no sulphur, no phosphorus, and it contains 

 more nitrogen or less carbon than proteine. The 

 compounds of proteine, under the influence of the 

 vital energy of the organs which form the blood, 

 assume a new form, but are not altered in composi- 

 tion ; while these organs, as far as our experience 

 reaches, do not possess the power of producing 

 compounds of proteine, by virtue of any influence, 

 out of substances which contain no proteine. Ani- 

 mals which were fed exclusively with gelatine, the 



reduced to 100 parts, too little nitrogen to be considered an exact 

 expression of his analyses. 



K 



