DR DAVY ON THE COAGULATION OF THE BLOOD. dD 
tity can escape in the short period of two or three minutes, which is about the 
time required for the coagulation of the blood of the fowl? 
For trial of the solvent power of the volatile alkali, fibrin was obtained from 
the blood of the fowl in the ordinary way by washing, but not carried so far as 
to remove the whole of the colouring matter; an effect in the instance of this 
blood not easily accomplished. By thorough drying, this lymph or fibrin was 
found to lose 85 per cent. of water. 
Experiment 12.—To a mixture of 134-4 grains of water, and of 44°5 grains of 
aqua ammoniee, of specific gravity ‘88, 1:2 grain of moist fibrin was added. In 
twelve days, at a temperature ranging from 50° to 60°, the greater part of it was 
dissolved. When shaken it became slightly turbid: it had no colour, as if the 
ammonia had destroyed the very little colouring matter adhering. 
Experiment 13.—To a mixture of 127°6 grains of water, and of 5-2 grains of 
sesquicarbonate of ammonia, 1:1] grain of the moist fibrin was added. In the 
same time it was only partially dissolved ; the undissolved portion was not in- 
considerable; it was colourless: the solution was slightly coloured red. 
Experiment 14.—To a mixture of 146:2 grains of water, and of 3:1 grains of 
neutral carbonate of ammonia, 2°8 grains of the moist fibrin were added. The 
result, in the same time, differed but little from the last, both as regards colour 
and proportional residue. Moreover, it may be mentioned, that after a month no 
further alteration in either of the three was appreciable. 
Haperiment 15.—To a mixture of 1400 grains of water, and of 19 grains of 
aqua ammonie, of specific gravity ‘88, 18 grains of moist fibrin were added. The 
mixture filled the bottle, which was closed with a glass stopper. It was kept at 
the same temperature as the preceding, and was occasionally shaken. After 
fourteen days, the fibrin seemed little diminished in bulk; it had become viscid 
as well as transparent. The former quality was evident from the manner in 
which it was drawn out when inverted. As the fluid part, it was found, could 
not be separated by filtration, it not passing through the filtering paper, to 
ascertain the proportion dissolved decantation was employed. About a half 
of it was poured off; but even this was not quite free from viscid lymph. Eva- 
porated to dryness, it yielded ‘7 grain; the other moiety evaporated yielded 2°8 
grains. 
Experiment 16.—To a mixture of 1400 grains of water, and of 26 grains of 
aqua ammoniz, 19 grains of moist lymph were added, put into a bottle of larger 
capacity, so as to half fill it only. The object was to see if any marked difference 
of effect would be produced by the presence of atmospheric air. The result in 
this respect was negative; as in the former instance, the fibrin was rendered trans- 
parent and viscid, and the decanted portion, on evaporation, yielded about the 
same proportional residue—viz., ‘S grain. 
I have made other trials on the solvent power exercised by ammonia on 
VOL. XXII. PART I. PB 
