﻿8o FIELD AND FOREST. 



that the bases of a fermentable body is in them, since cellulose is con- 

 vertible by animal ferments, and acids into starch, and the latter di- 

 rectly into grape sugar, a fermentable substance. It was supposed, at 

 one time, that cellulose belonged exclusively to the vegetable kingdom, 

 yet we have discovered in the inferior animals, as in the Ascidice a 

 complete tissue of cellulose. (Lowig and Schafer, Ann. ch. Pham.) 

 c. 312. From his analysis of the mantles of the Pyrosomidce, Salpidce 

 and Phallusia mammillaris he finds that the tunicine derived from them 

 is identical with vegetable cellulose. There are many other proofs 

 that a substance resembling cellulose and so-called amylaceous matter 

 has been found in the higher and lower animals by European scientists. 

 The much discussed corpora amylacea are pronounced by Nageli to be 

 really and truly starch. (Virchow, p. 230, Cellular Pathology.) But 

 there are other bodies discovered and described by Virchow, resemb- 

 ling cellulose in a condition between cellulose and starch. In blood, 

 Virchow states that' he has never found any thing resembling amyla- 

 ceous matter. In the presence of professional men and microscopists of 

 this city I have made the following experiments : A drop of blood was 

 drawn from one of their fingers and placed on a glass slide, followed 

 by one drop of concentrated muriatic acid, than by one of amber- 

 colored tincture of iodine, and again by one of concentrated sulphuric 

 acid. A glass cover, say one inch in diameter, was placed over the 

 mixture, and viewed with powers varying from 50 to 150 diameters. 

 Sometimes discs were seen, not blood discs, but blue amylaceous matter. 

 These often form into globules : all the viscera of higher animals 

 have given similar results. The position to be taken in this matter 

 is one of interest, view it as we may. Either the amylaceous 

 matter is in the blood or in the alcholic solution of iodine, or in the 

 muratic acid employed, or it falls from the atmosphere. It cannot 

 come from the sulphuric acid, because such bodies would, if allowed to 

 remain in that liquid, become grape-sugar or be carbonized, and their 

 structure would be wholly destroyed. I have sometimes found in the 

 alcoholic solutions of iodine the hairs of plants and other vegetable 

 forms. For the performance of such investigations, therefore, unusual 

 care is i required. The chemicals must be pure, and every substance 

 used in cleaning glasses should be composed of animal, rather than vegeta- 

 ble matter, and all vessels into which the chemicals are placed should 

 be exposed within and without to the action of flame to destroy eel- 



