36 CHEMICAL PHYSIOLOGY. 



be a more correct estimate of the quantity of blood 

 than any other hitherto made. 



striated mus- rpj^ grated muscles consist of particular contractile 

 matter, disposed in layers within a fine membranous 

 bag (sarkolemma) and connective tissue. The contrac- 

 tile matter is arranged in disks consisting of syntonine, 

 which are laid close together, separated and surrounded, 

 however, by a particular plasma. This can be isolated 

 from muscles treated at the freezing point, taken out 

 of the animal just killed, or from cold-blooded animals, 



J5as s ma" such as frogs. The plasma is alkaline, and coagulates 

 on standing like blood ; by beating the coagulation is 



Myosine. favoured. The coagulum is termed myosine; it is 

 flaky, never fibrous, and more transparent than fibrine. 

 Plasma dropped into warm water coagulates instan- 

 taneously, and deposits pure myosine. Like fibrine, 

 myosine decomposes peroxyde of hydrogen. By solu- 



syntomne. tion in dilute acids it is transformed into syntonine. 

 This is the name of the solid part of the flesh tissues, 

 the particular fibrine of flesh of Liebig, which, insoluble 

 in water, can be extracted from the insoluble part of 

 meat by dilute acids in large quantities. The muscle- 

 plasma, after coagulation of the myosine, leaves the 



swum 6 " muscle- serum. This becomes quickly acid, like all 

 meat on keeping, and on neutralization deposits an 

 albuminous substance. The fluid on acidification pre- 

 cipitates albumen which was in combination with 

 potassium. This precipitation occurs in the meat 

 naturally by formation of paralactic acid, which at first 

 shares the potassium of the phosphate, and transforms 

 it into acid phosphate. To this belongs the acid 



