82 ORIGIN OF FAT IN 



From which it follows, that sugar, starch, and gum, by 

 the mere separation of a part of their oxygen, may pass 

 into fat, or at least into a substance having exactly the 

 composition of fat. If from the formula of starch, 

 C 12 H 10 O 10 , we take 9 equivalents of oxygen, there will 

 remain in 100 parts 



C 12 ..80-4 



H 10 10 8 



O 10-8 



The empirical formula of fat, which comes nearest 

 to this, is C^H^O, which gives in 100 parts 



C n 78-9 



H 10 11-6 



O 9-5 



According to this formula, an equivalent of starch, in 

 order to be changed into fat, would lose 1 equivalent of 

 carbonic acid, CO 2 , and 7 equivalents of oxygen. 



Now the composition of all saponifiable fatty bodies 

 agrees very closely with one or other of these two for- 

 mulae. 



If from 3 equivalents of sugar of milk, 3C 12 H 12 O 12 

 = C 36 H 36 O 36 , we take away four equivalents of water 

 and 31 of oxygen, there will remain C 36 H 32 O, a formula 

 which accurately represents the composition of choles- 

 terine, the fat of bile, (is) 



Whatever views we may entertain regarding the origin 

 of the fatty constituents of the body, this much at least 

 is undeniable, that the herbs and roots consumed by the 

 cow contain no butter ; that in hay or the other fodder 

 of oxen no beef suet exists ; that no hog's lard can be 

 found in the potato refuse given to swine ; and that the 



