CARTILAGEINE. 99 



they become ossified in disease. In fishes it exists in the swimming- 

 bladder and in the scales. 



The chemical composition of osteine is unknown. It probably 

 differs from glutin by a few atoms of water, at most. (Lehmann.) 

 But the composition of the latter is not yet settled; Liebig's formula 

 being C 52 H 40 N 8 20 , while Mulder's is C 13 H 10 N 2 5 . 



Osteine constitutes a large part of the mass of the human organ- 

 ism. Haller remarked that "one-half of the human body is glutin." 

 In fact, one-half of the solid part of the body is convertible into glu- 

 tin by boiling in water. 



In the bones, osteine is chemically combined with the phosphate 

 of lime, and constitutes from 17.3 to 27.99 per cent, of the bone-sub- 

 stance; water constituting from 47.22 to 22.87 per cent. (Magendie) 



Origin. Osteine is formed in the tissues in which it occurs, by 

 assimilation of the albuminous elements of the blood, like globuline 

 and musculine. 



Uses. Osteine is the essential organic element in bone and white 

 fibrous tissue. It, however, manifests but very low vital endow- 

 ments, merely in the way of nutrition and reproduction, in these 

 tissues. Hence the latter belong to the lowest class, and are useful 

 only on account of their physical properties ; the bones giving sup- 

 port to the body and strong points for the attachment of muscles, 

 and the white fibrous tissue subserving various uses on account of 

 its strength and flexibility, and its almost total inextensibility. The 

 ' cornea is useful from its strength and transparency. 



The transformations of osteine are not understood. 



Remarks. Osteine is nutritious and assimilable; glutin is not, 

 but, if it enters the blood, appears in the urine. Hence Magendie 

 found that animals may be sustained indefinitely by giving them 

 finely ground bones, while they soon languish if they are fed with 

 soup obtained by boiling the bones ; since in the latter case the 

 osteine is converted into glutin. 



5. Cartilageine. 



The substance which by the prolonged action of boiling water is 

 converted into chondrine, is named cartilageine. (Robin and Verdeil) 

 It is found only in cartilages and in fibro-cartilages. It exists abun- 

 dantly in the intercellular substance of cartilage; whether in its 

 cells, also, is not certainly ascertained. 



Cartilageine exists in bone-cartilage as well as in the pernjanent, 



