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refin continues in folution without coloiii' or fiiicll ; Imt the 

 bittcrncfs remains. A fiiithcv quantity of this acid feparatcs 

 .tiic rcfiMous oil as the muriatic acid docs, but white and con- 

 crete. Any acid poured upon bile ahtady bleached by the 

 oxyn'uriatic acid, feparatcs undtuous white concrete matter 

 much refcmbhnjj adiponre, but the precife nature of the 

 change jModuced by the oxyrauriatic acid has not been pro- 

 perly afcertaincd. 



Bile therefore may be inferred from the prefent Ilatc of 

 chemical analylls to contain, 



1. A large proportion of water. 



2. A fubitance cli fely rcfembling animal albumen. 



. 7,. A peculiar relinous inllammablc matter, naturally and 

 intimately with 



4. Soda, into a kind of foap, or faponaceous extract. 



5. Some ncctral falts. 



6. A fmall quantity of oxyd of iron. 



Uclides thel'econllitucnts, there is a ci/lourinp; and odorant 

 matter, but it is not yet afcertaincd whetiier thele are proper- 

 ties cf any of tiie above-mentioned ingredients, or whether 

 they belong to a peculiar fubllance. 



Some chemills have alfo fnppofed a kind of faccharine 

 mucilage, refembling tht fugar of milk, but the exilltnce of 

 this, in recent unaltered bile, is vei7 doubtfid. 



Bile has been fuppnf'd to be a powerhil antlfeptic, and 

 its eflei'its in the animal economy have been attrllnited to 

 this quality, but without much foundation, llile, Itlt to it- 

 felf ill a moderate temperature foon becomes putrid (though 

 not fo fpeedily as blood); it then exhales a very fcetid odour, 

 but after this point it dccompofos but very (lowly, and at lall 

 affumes a ftrong, not very unplealant muiky (mcU. This 

 partial refinance to putrefaetion is probably owing to the 

 refinous ingredient, which lall, when leparaled by acids and 

 alcohol, in the way already mentioned, is abfolutely incapable 

 of putrefaAion. M. Cadet afl'erts, that at no time during 

 this proccfs is any acid generated. 



'V\\t faponaceous quality of bile, which is very charafteriftic, 

 and is owing to the intimate union of its refin with foda, 

 renders it mlfeible with milk, with oil, myrrh, aloe, and 

 other gum-rtfins, by trituration, without curdling, or ready 

 decompolition. It is alfo owing to an intimate mixture 

 with this natural foap that the albumen which bile contains 

 is not coagiilable by heat ; even if an additional qua-i- 

 tity of albumen (white of egg for example) is mixed with 

 bile, heat will nut coagulate it. Hence too, alcohol only 

 partially feparales the albumen, uiikls an acid is previoufly 

 applied to cn^jage the foda, and the alc.'>holic lolutioii of the 

 relin retains the foda fo as to render the refin not ftparable 

 by mere water. 



Bile, or ox-gall, is employedin various ways as a cleanfer of 

 wool, cloth, &c. to get out greafc fpots, t-o take off the greali- 

 nefs of ivory in prepaing it for receiving colours; and in 

 China it is mixed with fome of their varnilhcs. Gall a little 

 putrid may be preferved a long time from further alteration 

 by being boiled for a few minutes. 



M. Fourcroy aflferts, that he has obtained a fubftance, re- 

 fembling bile in every property, by mixing blood with a third 

 ot water, coagulating it by heat, and fiowly evaporating the 

 ferum. This experiment has, however, been repeated by 

 others without fuccefs. See Cadet in the Mem. de I'Acad. 

 des Sciences, for 1767 and 1769. Van Bochante, Profeflbr 

 at Louvain, in the Jour, de Phyf, tom. 13. Suppl. An. 

 Chim. tom. 4, 5, and 6. Fourcroy Sylleme de Conn. Chim. 

 &c. 



BiLE,in Meilic'ine, a yellowidi -green fluid, moreorlefsvifcld, 

 and of a bitter tafte, ft.cretcd in the liver, and conveyed from 



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that vifcu5, hythe focalledduaus communischolcdochus, into 

 the duodenum. It is a verj' compound iluid, being refolved 

 by chemical anaiyfis into a variety of ingredients ; fuch as 

 water, aihumcn, refin, foda, muriate of foda, phofphate of 

 foda, phofphate of lime and iron, befides a fweetifii matter 

 analogous to fugar of milk. In its general properties, it 

 may be fail to partake of the nature of a foap, although it 

 will nnt intimately mix with oil. The cyilic bile, or tliat 

 which is contained in the gall-bladder, poflcffes more vifci- 

 dity and bitternefs, (i.e. is more concentrated) than that 

 which flows diretlly from the biliary duels into the duode- 

 num, and which is termed hepatic bile. 



When we fee an organ of luch magnitude as the liver, ap- 

 propriated to the fecrttion of the bile, we are naturally led to 

 infer that the fluid fo ucrcted, muil anfwcr fome ufcful pur- 

 pofes in the animal economy ; but refpefting the number and 

 kind of purpofes wliicii it anfwers, phyiiologills do not ex- 

 aftly agree. It may, perhaps, concur with the pancreatic 

 juice, to the fejjaration of the reful'e part of the alimentary 

 pulp (chyme) from the proper chyle ; but, as Dr. G. For- 

 dyce has remarked, in his treatife on the digcflion of food, 

 the bile docs not unite with th'- chyle itfelf, and.pafs along 

 with it, through the ladeals into the blood. Mixed with 

 the feculent matter, and colouring it, the bile feems to pre- 

 vent that matter from running into fermentation, by virtue of 

 its alkaline nature ; and perhaps, alfo, in confcqutnce of the 

 bitter principle which it contains, it may, in fimie degree, 

 refill putrefaCilion ; but its principal and moil obvious ufe is, 

 as a lliinulus to the intcllines, fcrving to keep up a due degree 

 of perillaltic a6lion, and thereby to produce a regular and 

 natural evacuation of their contents. Hence a dimiuifhed 

 fecretion, or obllruAed paflage of the bile, is always accom- 

 panied with coilivenefs. 



From this view of the nature and compofition of the 

 biliary fecretion, and of its aClion upon the living body in a 

 Hate of health ; we proceed to the conlidtratlon of its mor- 

 bid conditions, which may be reduced to four heads ; viz. 

 X. Defc'ienry. 2. ObJJruSion. 3. Excefs. 4. V'lliat'ioii. 



I. yl deficiency/ of Bile. This is known by a pale and 

 languid habit of body, indigeftion, flatulency, acidity, cof- 

 tivenefs, and pale or clay-coloured llools. It is occafioned by 

 a fedentary mode of life, by intemperance, and by depreffing 

 paflions of the mind. It occurs in chlorofis, hypochon- 

 driafis, and chronic hepatitis. (See what is faid of thefe 

 difeafes under tlieir refpeflive titles.) To vvhatfoever caufe 

 it may be owing, it is always attended with indigellion and 

 coilivenefs ; two fymptoms which (hould be elpecially atten- 

 ded to in the cure. A well regulated diet fhoiild be pre- 

 icribed, wherein fpirituous drinks, high-feafoned meats, fla- 

 tulent vegetables, and crude and acid fruits, Ihould be for- 

 bidden. Much ilrefs fliould at the fame time be laid on a 

 plan of regular exercife ; and the injurious effects of cold and 

 damp upon the gaftric and hepatic fyftems, fliould be coun- 

 teradtedby fuitablecloathing. Asa further aid to digeftion, 

 bitters and chalybeatcs (elpecially the chalybeate mineral 

 waters), fliould be prefcr'bed ; and coftivenefs fliould be 

 remedied by occafional dofes of rhubarb, neutral falts, and 

 aloetics ; and fome times by tlie ttronger cathartics. Aci- 

 dity fliould be counteracted by alkalies, among which, 

 foda or natron prxparatum anfwers bell. Where the dimi- 

 nifhed fecretion of bile has appeared to be conneAed with a 

 difeafcd llruclure of the liver, and particularly where fuch 

 a change of ilrutlure has arifen from inflammation, mercury 

 (Dr. Saunders obfcrves), has been found uftful, even carried 

 to the degree of producing a flight faHvation ; moderating 

 the violence, however, of its operations by plentiful dilution, 



with 



