24 ON ADIPOCIRE, AND ITS FORMATION. 
are wholly converted into it. The formation of the lower terms of the series of fatty acids 
from proteine bodies forbids maintaining that this is impossible; but from what I have 
seen, and on weighing the evidence of what I have read, my impression is, that adipocire 
proceeds from the original fat of the body. 
It appears to follow from the foregoing experiments, that the higher members of the 
series of fatty acids do not result from the putrefaction of proteine compounds; at least from 
such putrefaction as is accompanied by exclusion of air. Flesh fibrine with restriction of 
air does not putrefy as rapidly as would be supposed, according to the experiment, where 
a portion was sealed with water on a microscope slide; the air here was not absolutely 
excluded, since a partial evaporation of the water took place. It is true that the amount 
of water in this experiment was small, in proportion to the fibrine, and it appears that 
much water is necessary to such decomposition, and which supports Liebig’s theory of the 
motion of the molecules. In the experiments of the bottles and of the sand, the decompo- 
sition was seen to take place gradually; the sarcous element of the flesh fibrine separated 
into discs, and these were by degrees resolved into their simpler compounds, which either 
remained as liquids or gases in solution in the bottles, or were carried off by the droppings 
in the sand experiment. The original fat of the body, according to circumstances, either 
partakes of this decomposition, or else, losing its glycerine and most of its oleic acid, becomes 
gradually converted into adipocire. In some bodies in the grave yards the fat is totally 
gone, while in others large quantities of adipocire are formed. It is suggestive that in all 
cases where adipocire has been found, the corpse was of a large and fat person, and this 
abundance of fat resists an ultimate decomposition. Analyses by Beetz of candles which 
had remained for a hundred years in a mine, prove that the only alteration undergone by 
fats when alone, is destruction of their oleine and glycerine. In the bottles of my experi- 
ments no adipocire was formed, although the fat of the coronary vessels was only partially 
removed; this may be accounted for on the ground that the fat, which was small in quan- 
tity, was here kept in close contact with the decomposing fibrine, and suffered with it 
decomposition, whereas in the sand experiment, this could only take place to a less degree. 
In grave yards, if the proportion of flesh to fat be large, and especially if the ground be of 
such anature as to prevent the decomposed matter being carried off, as by draining, 
adipocire cannot be formed, but the fat undergoes full decomposition. 
The fact that in adipocire from different animals, the same substances are found accom- 
panying the original fat of the animal, as the goat-like or mutton smell in sheep, and the 
tallow smell of the fossil adipocire, is suggestive, and should shift the burden of experi- 
mental proof upon those who maintain the formation of this substance from fibrine. The 
microscopic experiments militate against the transformation from fibrine. Those that 
believe in this change think to have proof from the shape, as it were, of certain muscles 
