Muscular and Pulmonary Tissues. 



361 



formed of molecules disposed according to a certain definite 

 structure, and consisting of albumen, phosphoric acid, potash, 

 and magnesia, which, however, do not exhibit fixed proportions, 

 but vary within certain limits. 



These materials are constantly undergoing destruction, and 

 may be considered as dying very shortly after they are ripe. 



The regularity with which the nutrition of this mature por- 

 tion of flesh takes place is strikingly shown by the fact that the 

 soluble and coagulable albumen in a given weight of tissue 

 always bears the same proportion to that of the albumen assi- 

 milated in the insoluble fibrous mass. The absolute quantity 

 of albumen assimilated in a given weight of muscle varies, pro- 

 bably in a great measure on account of the difi^erent proportions 

 of fat muscle contains; but the relation of this assimilated 

 albumen to the soluble and coagulable albumen remains very 

 nearly the same in every case, as shown in the following Table : — 



Found in 200 grammes of ox-flesh. 



In 100. 



Albumen insoluble. 



Albumen. 



Albumen 

 insoluble. 



Albumen. 



Analysis I. 31-16 



6-62 

 5-67 

 5-265 

 5-428 



82-48 

 8276 

 83-48 

 83-40 



17-51 

 17-24 

 16-52 

 16-60 



„ II. 27-216 



„ III. 26-6 



„ IV. 27-3 





Mean 





83-04 



16-97 







"Prom which results the fact, that for every molecule of albumen 

 assimilated or converted into insoluble muscular tissue, an equal 

 quantity of albumen is withdrawn from blood into the tissue. 

 This mean proportion of soluble to insoluble (or assimilated) 

 albumen is as 16-97 to 83'14, or 1 to 4*9, which means that 

 there is 4-9, say 5 times as much assimilated albumen in flesh 

 as in its nutritive fluid. 



II. The effete material on its way out of flesh entirely crystalloid. 



This includes perhaps the most interesting results from my 

 inquiries. 



I shall first beg to draw attention to what I have called 

 the effete albuminous material, and compare it with the corre- 

 sponding constituent of the fluid destined to nourish flesh. 

 What I have considered as the albuminous material of the third 

 class is crystalloid, having assumed the form of kreatine, kreati- 

 nine, &c. It was determined by evaporating to dryness the fil- 

 trate and washings from the coagulated albumen of a known 

 bulk of the extract. A small quantity of sulphate of lime was 



