32 CHEMICAL PHYSIOLOGY. 



is its power of coagulating or setting shortly after it 

 has left the body. Of this phenomenon many in- 

 genious theories have been given, but none has yet 

 satisfied the demands of exact chemical science. The 

 latest and most plausible one is that of A. Schmidt, 

 according to which the serum contains two substances, 

 which have the power of combining with each other 

 to form fibrine, the substance which produces the 

 phenomenon of the curdling of the blood, as caseine 

 produces that of the milk. One of these matters has 



J 



been termed fibrinoplastic substance (paraglobuline) 

 contained in serum and corpuscles, the other fibrino- 

 gen, contained also in serum and other fluids of the 

 body. There is no doubt that substances answering 

 to these descriptions can be isolated, and when brought 

 together mostly form fibrine. But what is not yet 

 proved is that they combine in atomic proportions. It 

 is just possible that the paraglobuline only acts as a 

 ferment like rennet, and transforms fluid fibrinogen 

 into gelatinous, solid, or fibrous fibrine, by the power 

 which in chemistry is termed contact action. But 

 even should this theory be confirmed as at present 

 shaped, it would fail to afford any answer to the 

 obvious question as to the inhibitory power which 

 prevents these bodies from reacting upon each other 

 in the circulating blood. The cause of the coagu- 

 lation being determined, would make room for the 

 question as to the cause of the fluidity and non-com- 

 bination of these bodies during life and circulation, 

 circum- This would no doubt be a progress, but not a solution. 



stancesuiider 



is a fact that blood while in contact with the inner 



