210 
On the Composition of the Blood. 
of the phosphate of lime and ma<^nesia, the tribasic phosphate 
of soda, with the chlorides of sodium and potassium. Besides 
these there are some other salts, which, although important 
in a physiological point of view, need not be especially men- 
tioned in a paper of this kind. The phosphate of lime exists 
in considerable proportion, for when separated from the blood it 
is required to give strength and solidity to the bones, that they 
may be enabled to support the weight of the animal and resist 
the force of the muscles in the various movements of the 
frame. 
The Fibrine. — This constituent of the circulating fluid may 
be considei'ed as the basis of nearly all the solids of the body. It 
exists in the blood in a state of perfect solution, but possesses the 
remarkable property of becoming solid either within or without 
tlie vessels, and whether separated or not from the other com- 
ponent parts of the blood, provided this becomes stagnant. The 
coagulation of the blood is entirely due to the presence of the 
fibrine. The power of the fibrine to become solid led at one 
time to its being designated " self-coagulable lymph," a name 
by which it is described by John Hunter, in his great work on 
' The Blood and Inflammation.' The term fibrine is, however, 
the more appropriate one, as expressing the fact that the material 
in solidifying arranges itself in the form of threads or fibres. 
The means which are usually adopted to obtain fibrine con- 
sist of whipping the blood with a small bundle of twigs, im- 
mediately on its being drawn from the vessels. The fibrino 
under these circumstances adheres to the twigs particle by par- 
ticle, until the whole of it is separated from the other component 
parts of the blood. On washing the mass thus obtained to fieo 
it from the small quantity of red colouring matter which it had. 
enclosed, the fibrine is found to consist of white, tough, and elastic 
fibres interwoven together, and crossing each other in every pos- 
sible direction. A microscopic examination of the smallest por- 
tion of one of these filaments reveals the further fact, that it also 
is made up of ininute threads arranged in a similar manner to 
that of the whole mass. 
The quantity of filnine existing in the blood rarely exceeds 
three parts in every thousand in health ; but like the albumen, it 
also is liable to variation, being both increased and diminished, 
according to different conditions of the organism. In a full habit 
of body, and especially if inflammatory action should supervene 
on this state of the system, the proportion of fibrine quickly 
increases until, according to Andral, in cases of active inflam- 
mation of the viscera it may amount to ten parts in a thousand. 
All pathologists admit a great increase under these circum- 
stances ; but there are few who place it quite so high as Andral. 
