20 CIIKMICAI, RESEARCHES ON THE ANIMAL FLUID9. 



distilled water, which was afterward separated by means of 

 a filter. 



The clear liquor reddened turmeric paper, and afforded 

 a copious precipitation on the addition of the infusion of 

 galls, and when evaporated to half an ounce, it gelatinized 

 on cooling. It was rendered very slightly turbid by the ad- 

 dition of dilute sulphuric and muriatic acid ; but alcohol 

 produced no effect. \ 



From the result of these trials, it might have been con- 

 cluded, that gelatine was taken up by the water, but as aa 

 alkaline solution of albumen forms an imperfect jelly whea 

 duly concentrated, and as albumen and gelatine are both 

 precipitated by tannin, I was inclined to put little reliance 

 on the appearances just described, until I had examined the 

 solution by the more accurate metliod of electrical decom- 

 posiiion. 

 It contained Upon placing it in the Voltaic circuit my suspicions were 



* justified, by the rapid coagulation which took place in con- 

 tact with the negative wire. I therefore made some other 

 experiments in order to corroborate this result. 



One fluid ounce of pure serum was dissolved in three of 

 distilled water: the conductors from a battery of thirty pairs 

 of four inch plates were immersed in this solution at a dist- 

 ance of two inches from each other ; the electrization was 

 continued during three hours and a half, the solid albumen 

 being occasionally removed ; at the end of that period, no 

 farther coagulation took place, and a mere decomposition of 

 the water was going on. 

 but nogela- Having ascertained in previous researches, that gelatine is 

 **'""'■ not altered during the electrical decomposition of its solu- 



tion carried on as just described, my object in this experi- 

 mfut was, to ascertain whether any gelatine remained after 

 the complete separation of the albumen had been effected, 

 1 accordingly examined the water from which the coagulated 

 albumen had been removed, and found that it was not altered 

 by infusion of galls, nor did it af^'ord any gelatine when 

 evaporated to dryness. 

 Action of mil- Two fluid ounces of dilute muriatic acid were added to 

 riiuc acid on one of serum^ The mixture immediately assumed a gela- 

 * • tinous appearance ; it was heated, and a more perfect coagu- 



lation 



