90 IMMEDIATE PKINCIPLES OF THE TISSUES. 



dations. It is, by some, incorrectly supposed to be held in solution 

 in the serum associated with it. It is, at present, regarded as con- 

 taining one atom less of sulphur, and one more of oxygen, than 

 seralbumen, being in other respects isomeric with it ; ] uniting, like 

 the latter, with bases as an acid, and with acids as a base. It, how- 

 ever, contains but from .7 to 2.5 per cent, of the phosphate of lime 

 and magnesia. 



Fibrine has been said to exist, in its solid state, in muscular fibre. 

 It does not, however, exist in muscular tissue at all. 



Fibrine becomes solid, or coagulates spontaneously, if separated 

 from the other fluid elements of the blood ; and also while in the 

 blood, in all ordinary circumstances, if the latter be removed from 

 the vessels and from all contact with the living tissues. After 

 death, it also normally coagulates within the vessels. 



The coagulum of fibrine is a yellowish, opaque, fibrous mass, soft 

 and elastic, and containing about three-fourths of its weight of 

 water. Thus coagulation of fibrine \sfibrillatiott, and is a vital act. 

 The coagulum of albumen has no fibres ; it is merely hyaline, or 

 minutely granular, albumen not being endowed with vital proper- 

 ties. Mere fibrillation is perhaps the lowest form of organization, 

 though there is reason to believe that it is the highest of which 

 fibrine is capable. 



Any alkaline solvent of fibrine prevents its coagulation as the 

 sulphate of soda, nitrate and carbonate of potassa, and the chloride 

 of sodium. Chloride of mercury probably has the same property; 

 so also have acetic and phosphoric acid. All these substances 

 diminish, and may destroy, the vitality of fibrine. 



Origin of Fibrine. The fibrine of inflammatory or other exuda- 

 tions is, of course, derived wholly from the blood. That in the 



1 Dumas states that fibrine contains less carbon and more nitrogen than albu- 

 men. Carpenter says it contains (according to most analyses) more oxygen than 

 albumen, and that it is probably albumen oxidized by the process of aeration. 



The chemical composition till recently assigned to these three immediate prin- 

 ciples, regarding them as proteine compounds, is as follows assuming Mulder's 

 original formula for proteine (C 40 H 31 12 N 5 ), or Liebig's (C 41 H 36 U N 6 ), and its com- 

 bining number being 437.3 (Mulder"), or 526 36 (Liebig') : 



Mulder. Liebig. 



Seralbumen is 10 proteine + PS 2 ; combining number, 4436.56 5327.16 



Fibrine and ovalbumen, 10 proteine -f PS ; comb, number, 4420.47 5311.07 

 Caseine and crystalline, 10 proteine -f S ; comb, number, 4389.09 5279.69 



Mulder's more recent formula for proteine is C 36 H 25 N 4 0, -f2HO. 



