^^Q ON THE ALKALINE MATTER IN SERUM &C. 



An Anstver to the. Observations of Dr. Pearson, fsee our 

 la$t Number J on certain Statements respecting the Alkaline 

 Matter contained in Dropsical Fluids, and in the Serum of 

 the Blood. By Alexander Marcet, M. D. F. R' S,, 



«ne of the Physicians to Gufs Hospital. 



:;;c.:i'to 8^'/o&^q 9^1- To Mr. NICHOLSON, 



Thequestion JT^LTHOuGH I feel extremely diBindined to engao;e m 



i"r proper '" ^"X P"^^**^ ]ihi!osophical controversy, especially when the 



light. object is 10 vindicate statements, the truth of wliich any 



comraon' observer may easily ascertain by experiment; 



yet, as there are some points in the above communication, 



'/j' -fcif > ^bich do not place the question in its proper light, and 



•^■••mo^ n^si; might mislead those,^ who have rjot the opportunity of re^ 



' ■•:uiJi 'in] V,. fgj-j-j^^g tQ ^hg original documents, I have tl^o/ight it neces"< 



Sdry, to offer, in return a few obserV|ations.j,.j, 



-^ The state of the question is simply this: AH chemists 



Its proper . ^ i 



state. ha.,v.e for a long time agreed that the blood, and probably all 



the animal fluids, contain, together v^ith various neutral 

 salts, a certain portion of alkali not combined with any acid. 

 This alkali has generally been considered as being soda, 

 although a few chemists had also noticed traces of potash in 

 some of these fluids. Dr. Pearson, on the contrary, in ex- 

 amining various kinds of animal substances, and especially 



* rtwniujii 'o ^^ expectorated rnatter, m^^^, led to conclude that the whole 

 'of the uncortibined alkali contained in the animal fluids was 

 potash, and that they did not contain uncombined* soda in 

 any proportion whatever. 



Soda the only In analysing the fluids of dropsy. I was naturally led to 



uncombined - inquire into this question ; and the result obtained induced 



aikaliinthe , ' * , ■ , • i ,. ,• 



fluids. meto cpnciiade, that the only, uncombined alkah preset in 



the blood, or other animal fluids, wa,s soda ; and tht^t the 



indications of potash, which, by applying , the test used by 



Dr. Pearson, I r/as able to detect in these fluids, were 



By the expression uncombined, I mean not combined with add. 



owms: 



