FIBRINE AI\D ALBUMEN. 



21 



.0 tn J femaie body the power, up to a certain 

 age, cf producing all parts of its organization 

 in greater quantity than is required to sup- 

 ply the daily waste. 



This excess of production can be shown 

 to contain all the elements of a new organism, 

 it is constantly accumulating, and is periodi- 

 cally expelled from the body, until it is ex- 

 pended in reproduction. This periodical 

 discharge ceases when the ovum has been 

 impregnated, and from this time every drop 

 of the superabundant blood goes to produce 

 an organism like that of the mother. 



Exercise and labour cause a diminution 

 in the quantity of the menstrual discharge; 

 and when it is suppressed in consequence 

 of disease, the vegetative, life is manifested 

 in a morbid production of fat. When the 

 equilibrium between the vegetative and ner- 

 vous life is disturbed in the male, when, as 

 in eunuchs, the intensity of the latter is di- 

 minished, the predominance of the former 

 is shown in the same form, in an increased 

 deposit of fat. 



VIII. If we hold, that increase of mass in 

 he animal body, the development of its or- 

 gans, and the supply of waste, that ail this 

 is dependent on the blood, that is, on the 

 ingredients of the blood, then only those 

 substances can properly be called nutritious, 

 or considered as food which are capable of 

 conversion into blood. To determine, there- 

 fore, what substances are capable of afford- 

 ing nourishment, it is only necessary to as- 

 certain the composition of the food, and to 

 compare it with that of the ingredients of 

 the blood. 



Two substances require especial conside- 

 ration as the chief ingredients of the blood ; 

 one of these separates immediately from the 

 blood when withdrawn from the circulation. 

 It is well known that in this case blood 

 coagulates, and separates into a yellowish 

 liquid, the serum of the blood, and a gela- 

 tinous mass, which adheres to a rod or stick 

 in soft, elastic fibres, when coagulating blood 

 is briskly stirred. This is the^&rwe of the 

 blood, which is identical in all its properties 

 with muscular fibre, when the latter is pu- 

 rified from all foreign matters. 



The second principal ingredient of the 

 blood is contained in the serum, and gives 

 to this liquid all the properties of the white 

 of eggs, with which it is identical. When 

 heated, it coagulates into a white elastic 

 mass, and the coagulating substance is 

 called albumen. 



Fibrine and albumen, the chief ingredients 

 of blood, contain, in all, seven chemical 

 elements, among which nitrogen, phos- 

 phrus, and sulphur are found. They con- 

 tain also the earth of bones. The serum 

 retains in solution sea salt and other salts 

 of potash and soda, in which the acids are 

 carbonic, phosphoric, and sulphuric acids. 

 The globules of the blood contain fibrine and 

 albumen, along with a red colouring matter, 

 in which iron is a constant element. Be- 

 side these, the blood contains certain fattv 



bodies in small quantity, which differ from 

 ordinary fats in several of their properties. 



Chemical analysis has led to the remark- 

 able result, that fibrine and albumen contain 

 the same organic elements united in the 

 same proportion, so that two analyses, the 

 one of fibrine and the other of albumen, do 

 not differ more than two analyses of fibrine 

 or two of albumen respectively do, in the 

 composition of 100 parts. 



In these two ingredients of blood the par- 

 ticles are arranged in a different order, as is 

 shown by the difference of their external 

 properties ; but in chemical composition, in 

 the ultimate proportion of the organic ele- 

 ments, they are identical. 



This conclusion has lately been beautifully 

 confirmed by a distingufshed physiologist 

 (Denis,) who has succeeded in converting 

 fibrine into albumen, that is, in giving it the 

 solubility, and coagulability by heat, which 

 characterize the white of egg. 



Pibrine and albumen, besides having the 

 same composition, agree also in this, that 

 both dissolve in concentrated muriatic acid, 

 yielding a solution of an intense purple 

 colour. This solution, whether made with 

 fibrine or albumen, has the very same re- 

 actions with all substances yet tried. 



Both albumen and fibrine, in the process 

 of nutrition, are capable of being converted 

 into muscular fibre, and muscular fibre is 

 capable of being reconverted into blood. 

 These facts have long been established by 

 physiologists, and chemistry has merely 

 proved that these metamorphoses can be 

 accomplished under the influence of a cer- 

 tain force, without the aid of a third sub- 

 stance, or of its elements, and without the 

 addition of any foreign element, or the sepa- 

 ration of any element previously present in 

 these substances. 



If we now compare the composition of all 

 organized parts with that of fibrine and albu- 

 men, the following relations present them- 

 selves : 



All parts of the animal body which have 

 a decided shape, which forms parts of or 

 gans, contain nitrogen. No part of an organ 

 which possesses motion and life is destitute 

 of nitrogen ; all of them contain likewise 

 carbon and the elements of water, the latter, 

 however, in no case in the proportion to 

 form water. 



The chief ingredients of .the blood contain 

 nearly 17 per cent, of nitrogen, and no part 

 of an organ contains less than 17 per cent, 

 of nitrogen. (7) 



The most convincing experiments and 

 observations have proved that the animal 

 body is absolutely incapable of producing 

 an elementary body, such as carbon or ni- 

 trogen, out of substances which do not con- 

 tain it; and it obviously follows, that all 

 kinds of food fit for the production either of 

 blood, or of cellular tissue, membranes, skin, 

 hair, muscular fibre, &c., must contain a 

 certain amount of nitrogen, because that 

 element is essential to the composition of 



