1813.] 



and some other Anhnals, 



333 



with mine, that his account of the brain is by far the completest 

 hitherto given, and that it approaches pretty closely to the truth. 



Sect. II. 



Treatment of the brain with alcohol, or spirit of wine, 



A portion of human brain, deprived of its envelopes, and 

 reduced to a homogeneous pulp in a marble mortar by means of 

 a wooden pestle, was mixed with about five times its weight of 

 alcohol of 36 degrees. This mixture, left to macerate during 

 24 hours, was heated to the boiling temperature, and passed 

 through the filter. 



The alcohol had acquired a greenish colour. It deposited, on 

 cooling, a white matter, partly in flocks, and partly in plates. 



Twelve hours after the cooling, the alcohol was filtered again. 

 It still retained its green colour. Water destroyed its transpa- 

 rency, and rendered it milky. 



This alcoliol, being evaporated till only one eighth part of it 

 remained, deposited, on cooling, an oily matter, yellowish and 

 fluid, which sunk to the bottom of the vessel. The liquid itself 

 continued yellowish. 



We shall hereafter examine this oily matter, together with the 

 liquor which accompanied it. 



The alcohol obtained by distillation was poured upon the 

 cerebral matter, already once digested with alcohol, as has been 

 already said. 



After having boiled the mixture for a quarter of an hour, the 

 alcohol was filtered while hot. It passed through the filter with 

 a colour approaching to blue, and deposited, on cooling, a 

 white matter, as in the first operation, but less abundant. The 

 alcohol, after having deposited this matter, still became milky 

 when mixed with water. This alcohol, when distilled, passed 

 without colour; and the residue of the distillation, which 

 amounted to about the 2Sth part of the liquid subjected to 

 distillation, had lost its green colour, and acquired a yellow 

 colour. 



This residue exhibited two sorts of liquors ; one which had 

 the aspect of an oil, and occupied the bottom of the vessel ; the 

 other, less coloured, resembled a solution of gum. 



We defer the examination of these two liquids till we come to 

 describe those which were obtained by the first operation, because 

 we suspect them to be of the same nature. 



The white matter deposited by alcohol in the first operation, 

 and that wliich the same liquid allowed to deposite in the second 

 operation, had a pasty consistence, a greasy and glutinous feel, a 

 brilliant and satiny appearance. 



