ERMINE. 177 



our interest, from its presenting to us a series of proper- 

 ties, which render it conspicuous as the only substance in 

 the body, at least, that we are as yet acquainted with, 

 which is allied to the colouring matter of the bile (Chole- 

 pyrrhine). By the direct action of mineral acids, or after 

 previous treatment and preparation by means of alkalies, 

 the same, or precisely similar, colour-tests are obtained, 

 which are yielded by the colouring matter of the bile 

 when treated with mineral acids, and it seems also from 

 other facts, that we have here a body before us, which is 

 very intimately connected with the colouring matter of 

 the bile. This circumstance derives its especial interest 

 from its being supposed, for other reasons also, that the 

 coloured constituents of the bile are products of the de- 

 composition of the red colouring matter of the blood. 

 In the interior of extravasations there really does arise a 

 yellowish red substance which may be designated as a 

 newly formed kind of biliary colouring matter. 



The second kind of crystals which arise out of hema- 

 tine was discovered later ; they are very similar to the 

 preceding ones, but differ from them in that they do not 

 occur as a spontaneous product in the body, but must be 

 artificially produced. They are more of a dark brownish 



FIG. 66. 



colour and usually form flat rhombic plates with more 

 acute angles ; they are in an extraordinary degree capa- 

 ble of resisting tests, and also do not, when acted upon 



Fig. 55. Crystals of Haemine, artificially procured from human blood. 300 dia- 

 meters. 



12 



