Chemical Physiology and Pathology. 529 



position only as long as it remains under the influence of vital 

 action, and decomposes, whenever it is removed from the 

 organism. Its decomposition may be delayed and almost pre- 

 vented by alkalies. According to Denis decomposed fibrine 

 may even be dissolved by them, and converted back into a 

 kind of fluid albumen. The formation of fibrine must be re- 

 garded as dependent on albumen, as it is not found in the 

 lymphatics. This is confirmed by the observation of Nasse, 

 that the quantities of the albumen and of the fibrine of the 

 blood are in inverse proportions to each other. The chemical 

 cause of the transformation of the albumen of the blood into 

 fibrine is commonly supposed to depend on oxygen being 

 taken up by respiration. On this account arterial and male 

 blood are richest in fibrine, as also the blood of those who take 

 much exercise, which causes an increased quantity of oxygen 

 to be taken up, and makes the organs that are richest in fibrine, 

 namely the muscles, increase in size in a marked degree. The 

 formation of fibrine may perhaps take place thus, by I atom 

 of the sulphur of the albumen uniting with oxygen, forming 

 sulphuric acid and combining with the alkali of the serum, 

 while the remainder of the sulphur has become fibrine 

 with the proteine and phosphorus, (Lehmann). Hoffman 

 believed, that by the addition of a little sulphuric acid to 

 blood, whose fibrine had been removed by beating, that he had 

 obtained from the albumen of the serum fibrine in the form 

 of a fine white membrane. In the vegetable kingdom gum is 

 quite analogous to animal fibrine, and occurs mixed with 

 colouring matter in the green parts of plants as a green 



deposit, and in the seeds of the cerealia. Caseine 



(consisting of 10 atoms proteine and 1 atom sulphur) which is 

 not decomposed by boiling, but which is precipitated by 

 acetic and lactic acids from aqueous solutions, is especially 

 contained in milk. For the present we must believe that by 

 digestion it is converted into albumen, before it reaches the 

 blood, for it has not yet been found in the absorbents. Vegeta- 



