Manchester Memoirs, Vol. Ixii. (191 7), No. 5 3 



degrees Fahrenheit, and it would certainly then cease to have any 

 nourishing properties. 



The reason I came to study this problem was that a certain Port 

 Wine was alleged to contain what was an equivalent in nourishing 

 properties to 7 per cent, of its weight of lean meat. This so-called 

 nourishing material put into the wine was Somatose which 

 dissolved almost completely in it, and after settling or filtering, the 

 wine, was obtained clear with the Somatose in solution. 



To arrive at the equivalent in Somatose of lean meat, the per- 

 centage of Nitrogen in both were determined, and it was assumed 

 that the equivalent of Somatose in Nitrogen was equal to the 

 equivalent of lean beef in Nitrogen for feeding purposes. It need 

 hardly be mentioned that this supposition is utterly fallacious, be- 

 cause it might be similarly argued that a small quantity of Urea, 

 which is rich in Nitrogen and has no food value would be equal as 

 a food to a large quantity of lean meat. 



Somatose was obviously a complicated organic body. The 

 following analysis of it is given by A. R. Tankard : — 



Per Cent. 



Water 14.25 



Alkali Albumin (precipitated from the cold aqueous 



solution by Acetic Acid in slight excess) ... ... 21.83 



Coagulable Albumin (precipated from the filtrate by 

 boiling) 3.40 



Albumoses (precipitated from the filtrate by Zinc 



Sulphate) 33.96 



Peptones (precipitated from filtrate by Bromine) ... 3.06 



Meat bases (Calculated from excess Nitrogen by factor 

 3.12) ... 2.62 



Ash (having an alkalinity equivalent to 1.91 per cent. 



Sodium Carbonate, Na 2 C0 3 ) ... ... ... 5.30 



Difference (not accounted for) ... ... ... ... 15.58 



100.00 



This analysis of such a complicated organic substance cannot 

 be regarded as satisfactory, so I give as follows the analysis by 

 Luff and Sir Thomas Stevenson : — 



Per cent. 



Deutero-Albumose ... ... ... ... ... 51.60 



Hetero-Albumose 



13.40 



Peptone ... ... ... ... 



5.00 



Water 



11.04 



Mineral Matter 



5.02 



Difference (not accounted for) ... 



13.94 



100.00 



