126 THE SECRETIONS CONTAIN 



the blood, that the existing organs at every moment of 

 life are transformed into new compounds under the in- 

 fluence of the oxygen introduced in the blood, then the 

 animal secretions must of necessity contain the products 

 of the metamorphosis of the tissues. 



21. If it be further true, that the urine contains those 

 products of metamorphosis which contain the most ni- 

 trogen, and the bile those which are richest in carbon, 

 from all the tissues which in the vital process have been 

 transformed into unorganized compounds, it is clear that 

 the elements of the bile and of the urine, added togeth- 

 er, must be equal, in the relative proportion of these 

 elements to the composition of the blood. 



22. The organs are formed from the blood, and con- 

 tain the elements of the blood ; they become trans- 

 formed into new compounds, with the addition only of 

 oxygen and of water. Hence, the relative proportion 

 of carbon and nitrogen must be the same as in the 

 blood. * 



If then we subtract from the composition of blood 

 the elements of the urine, then the remainder, deduct- 

 ing the oxygen and water which have been added, must 

 give the composition of the bile. 



Or if from the elements of the blood, we subtract 

 the elements of the bile, the remainder must give the 

 composition of urate of ammonia, or of urea and car- 

 bonic acid. 



It will surely appear remarkable, that this manner of 

 viewing the subject has led to the true formula of bile, 

 or, to speak more accurately, to the most correct em- 



