358 Dr. W. Marcet on the Nutrition of 



albumen, phosphoric acid, and potash be represented respec- 

 tively : — in the insoluble fibrous mass by 



A, B, C; 



in the soluble colloid material by 



A', B', C; 



in the total flesh by ^// ]^// qii . 



in the crystalloid material by 



A'", B'", C". 

 B' and C are calculated as follows : — 

 A:B = A':B^ 

 A:C = A': C, 



r, C+A' 



The crystalloid material has also to be calculated, 



A"' being = A" - (A + A'), 

 B'" =B"-(B + B'), 



c" =c"~(c+co. 



The colloid material was calculated, as previously stated, on 

 the assumption that it possessed the same relative composition 

 as the insoluble fibrous mass ; and I must now show the truth 

 of this theory. It will be necessary to begin by establishing the 

 fact of the colloid nature of the solution. The proof that this 

 material is colloid is derived from the consideration that albumen, 

 its main constituent, is possessed of strictly colloid properties. 

 Moreover, juice of flesh contains, as I have observed by submit- 

 ting it to dialysis, a certain quantity of phosphoric acid and pot- 

 ash which, even after 24 hours does not pass through the dia- 

 phragm of the dialyzer, and may therefore be considered as 

 colloid. With reference to the composition of the colloid solu- 

 tion, it is difficult to obtain accurate quantitative determina- 

 tions of colloid phosphoric acid and colloid potash by dialysis ; 

 still, by submitting to this process for 24 hours minced flesh 

 made into a pulp with water, the proportions of albumen, col- 

 loid phosphoric acid, and colloid potash were found in the fol- 

 lowing analysis very much the same as those obtained for the 



