CHEMICAL PHYSIOLOGY. 33 



surface of healthy blood-vessels in living bodies, even 

 when prevented from flowing by double ligatures, does 

 not coagulate. Even coagulated blood, when placed 

 into the cavity of the excised heart of a turtle becomes 

 fluid again. From these and similar facts the living 

 walls of blood-vessels were said to be the agencies 

 which kept the blood fluid (Briicke). But such a 

 statement is only a circumscription, not an explanation 

 of the fact, which therefore requires further study and 

 investigation. 



It must always be borne in mind that by the method 

 of physiolysis, or putrefaction conducted upon certainiysi n s'. piysic 

 principles and with certain precautions, fibrine yields 

 albumen, and that consequently the atomic constitution 

 of fibrine must be more complicated, and its atomic 

 weight higher than that of albumen. 



The yellowish liquid which remains when the fibrine 



stitution of 



has been allowed to set in the blood, and to enclose the serum - 

 and retain in its contracting meshes the blood-cor- 

 puscles, is termed the serum. It yet has a quan- 

 tity of paraglobuline, of which only a small portion Paragiobu- 



line. 



has been used up towards the formation of fibrine. 



It further contains sodium albumen (or caseine of Sodiumand 



serum, Panum), and a very small quantity of potassium ESSJT 8 



albumen. The paraglobuline is precipitated by carbonic 



acid from serum, diluted with 10 volumes of water, the 



albuminates dissolved in combination with the alkaline 



metals are set free by a little acetic acid. But the 



ingredient of serum which is present in the largest 



quantity (7'9 to 9'8 percent.) is the albumen particular 



to the serum, or blood albumen, as distinguished from serum aibu- 



