Ijg OBSERVATIONS AND EXPERIMENTS ON PUS. 



contains a greater proportion of saline matters than an equal 

 given quantity of serum of blood. Hence the thicker the 

 pus the less irritation to the sore which secretes it, and coto- 

 roonly the less the inflammatory or other action of the se- 

 creting surface. In different cases, however, the proportion 

 of impregnating saline substances to one another is liable to 

 vary, especially that of phosphate of lime; hence, though 

 rarely, calculi occur of this substance in the cavity of the 

 Calculi ill abscess*. Hence too the exsiccated pus is liable to become 

 abscesses. ^off jj^d moist, from the proportion of neutralized potash, 

 being greater than u«ual ; and even deliquescence sometimes 

 occurs of the exsiccated limpid fluid. 

 Different se- 12. That the same organs, according to their different 

 cretions from states, secrete from the blood merely water impregnated 

 •r^nn^iTindiffe- with the saline substances of the serum of blood; also this 

 rent states, fluid containing various proportions of coagulable matter 

 like that of serum of blood; and serous fluid with self-coa- 

 gulable lymph, which afl'ords curdy masses: likewise this 

 serous fluid, together with this matter which coagulates of 

 itself after secretion, highly impregnated with invisibly small 

 ptfTticles, in such a state of aggregation, as to constitute the 

 thick opaque fluid called pus — which states of the secretory, 

 organs are generally attended with inflammatory action, but 

 frequently also without any symptoms of such action. 

 Consistence 13. That beside the consistence of pus depending upen 



©t pub. ^j^g proportion of serous limpid liquid, and opaque matter, it 



also probably depends upon the mode and state of coagula- 

 tion of the matter which affords this opaque part ; analogously 

 to the different states of consistence of the coagulated blood 

 itself, according to the different conditions of the animal 

 ^economy. 

 Distinction of ; According to the above inferences, I trust, a distinct and 

 11"'',/°'"'' definite notion of the substance to be considered as pus is 



Stones in the * O'l examining the 'Jungs of a patient who died of pulmonary con- 

 imijjs. sumpiion, concretions were found in a large vomica from the size of must 



tard seed to a pepper corn, whijch Dr. E. N. Bancroft reserved for my 

 inquiry. 1 found they consisted chiefly of phosphate of lime, with an 

 unusually small proportion of animal maiter. In another patient of Dr. 

 Nevinson, matter was coughed up, consisting chiefly of phosphate of 

 lime and animal matter, nearly one of the former to thres of the latter. 



exhibited 



