37° Mr. Hatchett's Experiments on Zoophytes, 



The skin of the eel possesses great flexibility ; and it affords 

 gelatin very readily, and in a large proportion. The skin of 

 the shark also, which is commonly used by cabinet makers 

 to polish their work, was in like manner, for the greater part, 

 soon dissolved, and formed a jelly, like the former. The 

 epidermis or cuticle of these skins, (which is very thin and 

 tender,) although not soluble, was reduced into small particles 

 by violent ebullition ; and the spiculse on the shark's skin were 

 also separated. 



The skins of the hare, rabbit, calf, ox, and rhinoceros, were 

 examined in a similar manner, and with the like results; but 

 the gelatin obtained from the hide of the rhinoceros, (as far as 

 the smallness of the piece of skin would allow me to determine,) 

 appeared to be the strongest and most viscid. In every one of 

 these experiments, the true skin or cutis was principally 

 affected, it being completely soluble (as Messrs. Chaptal and 

 Seguin have well observed) by long boiling; but that of the 

 rhinoceros far exceeded the others in difficult solubility. The 

 cutis of these skins, when first boiled, swelled and appeared 

 horny ; it was then gradually dissolved ; but in the cutis of the 

 rhinoceros a few small filaments remained, which at length 

 contracted and adhered to the cuticle. 



The cuticle of the different skins was softened, but not dis- 

 solved; and, as the cutis seems to be essentially formed of 

 gelatin,* so the cuticle appears to contain it, although but in a 

 small proportion : it is, however, necessary to its flexibility ; for 

 when, after long boiling, the cuticle of these skins was dried, 



* The cartilages of the articulations are also completely soluble when long boiled 

 with water; but this by no means happens when other cartilages are thus treated. 



