Tin; BLOOD. 157 



between the two are referable to the natural and adventitious 

 salts of albumen, varying according to the organs from which it 

 is obtained. The following results are given c by Gay-Lussac 

 and Thenard, in regard to them and gelatine : 



Carbon. Hydrogen. Oxygen. Nitrogen. 



Gelatine 1 .' 1 ^ i' ij - 47-881 7-924 27-207 16-998 



Albumen - >;**HhiU 52-883 7-540 23-872 15-705 



Fibrin - ^ir/{j - 53-360 7-021 12-685 19-934 



Besides which, they, as well as the colouring matter of the 

 blood, contain a very minute portion of the earthy phosphates. 



We formerly saw that Dr. Prout is of opinion, at present, that 

 when oxygen and hydrogen exist united, it is in the form of 

 actual water, as an essential constituent of unazotised vegetable 

 bodies, one atom of carbon being united with one of water. 

 Now M. Raspail makes it highly probable, that the nitrogen of 

 vegetable gluten, of albumen, fibrin, gelatine, and other animal 

 matters, exists combined with another portion of hydrogen in 

 the form of ammonia, which again is combined, as a base, with 

 some acid, making an ammoniacal salt. The remaining small 

 quantity of the hydrogen, not united with oxygen into water, 

 is united with carbon into carburetted hydrogen ; so that sub- 

 stances called azotised are really not azotised. He shows that 

 the numbers given by Thenard are such as will give so much 

 water, ammonia, and carburetted hydrogen, with pure carbon. 

 Vegetable substances have been hitherto considered as ternary 

 compounds of oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon: animal substances, 

 and vegetable gluten, quaternary compounds of oxygen, hydro- 

 gen, carbon, and nitrogen; for most animal substances usually 

 afford nitrogen, and but few vegetable substances excepting 

 gluten. In M. Raspail's views, organised bodies consist of water, 

 ammonia, carbon, and salts. And here I must remark, that the 

 alcaline, earthy, and other substances, found in minute quantities 

 in animal and vegetable compounds, and which have usually been 

 regarded as foreign and unimportant, are, with great reason, con- 

 sidered by Dr. Prout as integrants in the compounds, and chiefly 

 productive of the striking differences observed in substances 

 having otherwise the same essential composition. The importance 

 of minute quantities of matter is shown, he remarks, in the expe- 

 riments of Sir John Herschel, who found that a power not less 



Rtcherchcs Fhysico-Chimiques, t.ii. 

 M 



