ON EXPECTORATED MATTER, g^l 



posTire to the air, it remained dry, but it became more 

 flexible. It no longer emitted ammonia on trituration 

 with lime. 



(c). The tincture thus obtained was distilled, readily till The tincture 

 there remained about five ounces measure in the retort, 

 and what remained seemed to be chiefly water instead of 

 spirit, with such a quantity of matter dissolved in it, as 

 not to afford liquid by distillation, without frequently 

 spirting into the receiver. The residuary liquid was there- 

 fore evaporated to the consistence of a soft resinlike extract 

 of a black colour; which had a salt with bitter taste. 



The distilled liquid had a peculiar pungent smell, but ^'si'lledli- 

 not that of amn^onla, and it neither reddened turnsole '^"' * 

 paper, nor rendered violet cloth green. 



(rf). The resinltke extract (c) weighed 140 grains. It Extract, 

 wassemitransparent — dissoluble in water, but not coagulable 

 in boiling water — it grew softer on exposure to air — it was 

 uncrystallizable— it betrayed no signs of alkalescency or of 

 acidity, except giving turnsole paper a reddish hue — under 

 the blowpipe it burnt like matter from animals, and af- 

 forded a fused globule, which indicated muriate of soda, 

 and a large proportion of potash, deliquescing very speedily 

 — with lime it emitted the smell of ammonia — with phos- 

 phoric, and also with tartaric acid, on being heated, an acid 

 smell was perceived, which I at first mistook for acetous 

 acid ; but I soon found that uo such acid was present, not Suopo««4 

 being able to detect a trace of any acid in the distilled *'^"^* 

 liquid from these mixtures — on the addition of acetite of 

 lead, a very copious precipitation of fawn-coloured sediment 

 mstantly took place, with the smell most distinctly of ap- 

 ples. The decanted liquid of this mixture was found to 

 be chiefly acetite of potash. On dropping diluted sul- 

 phuri<: acid upon the fawncoloured sediment, it constantly 

 emitted the smell of apples. 1 could not, however, satisfy 

 myself, that the small quantity of liquid decanted from 

 off this sediment contained a kind of vegetable acid for perhaps m'^ 

 the first time apprehended in the fluids of animals; be- take, 

 cause, first, the quantity of product I possessed was so 

 diminished by many experiments, that I was unable to make 

 what I coasideced to h-t dici^iive trials. Secondly, because 



ia 



