ix THE MUSCLE- ALBUM INS 391 



The author draws attention to the fact that changes analogous to 

 rigor mortis occur in every colloidal solution which is being precipitated, 

 for example, if a suitable electrolyte, such as acetic acid, be slowly 

 added to a strong globulin solution, the latter becomes more and more 

 viscous and may become semi-solid. On the further addition of acetic 

 acid, or on waiting for some days, the viscosity disappears and the 

 globulin solution becomes limpid. 



As, according to the author's view, life is given to the albumins by 

 the salts with which they are associated, 1 and as muscle resembles red 

 blood-corpuscles in being very rich in potash salts, the following table 

 of Katz 2 has been included. It is based on a very extensive research 

 on the flesh of different animals : 



K . . . . . 2-41 to 4-65 



Na . . . . . 0-32 to 1-56 



Mg . . . . . 0-18 to 0-37 



Ca . . . . . 0-02 to 0-39 



P total . . . 1-36 to 2-58 



from phosphates . . T2 2 to 2 '04 



from lecithin . . . 0'13 to 0*48 



from nuclein . . . 0'09 to 0'32 



Cl . . . . . 0-32 to 0-8 



S . . . . 1*35 to 2-92 



Fe . . . . . 0-04 to 0-25 



Heart- muscle has been specially studied by Boruttan 3 and by 

 Bottazzi and Ducceschi. 4 



Smooth muscle has been investigated by Vincent and Lewis 5 and 

 Velichi. 6 Vincent and Lewis investigated the sheep's stomach, and 

 found, in confirmation of Bottazzi, that nonstriped muscle shows rigor 

 mortis, as does striped muscle, if it be kept for some time at body- 

 temperature. " Unstriped muscle and its extracts in dilute neutral 

 saline solutions are neutral or alkaline, while those of striped muscle 

 are almost always acid. Fresh extracts of unstriped muscle made 

 with 5 per cent magnesium sulphate appear to contain little if any 



1 See p. 211, and also p. 215, where the ring formation of ammo-acids is discussed. 



2 J. Katz, PjlUger's Arch. 63. 1 (1896). 



:! Boruttan, Zeit. f. physiol. Chem. Strassburg, 18. 513 (1894). 



4 Bottazzi and Ducceschi, II Morgagni, 39. No. 10, and also in Arch. ital. de Biol. 

 28. 395 (1897). 



5 Swale Vincent and Thomas Lewis, Proc. Physiol. Soc. Jan. 26, 1901. See 

 Journal of Physiol. 26. p. 445 (1900-1). 



6 Velichi, CentralU. f. Physiol. 12. 351 (1898). 



