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Proceedings of the Royal Society 
blood corpuscles, and thus setting free a quantity of heematine, 
which being acted on by the bile acid is converted into bile pig- 
ment . — ( Vide Beale’s “Archives of Medicine,” vol. i p. 342.) 
Neither of these observers notices any abnormal post mortem 
appearances in any of the animals they operated on. 
In the prosecution of this investigation there were various 
courses open by which bile might be introduced into the system. 
It was not desirable to administer it by the mouth, for then its 
absorption into the portal circulation, and consequent passage to 
the liver, would tend to complicate its action. It seemed therefore 
best to introduce the bile directly into the general circulation by 
hypo-dermic injection. Intravenous injection was not employed, 
in order to avoid the error of some who, injecting biliary fluids into 
the veins, attributed the immediate effects produced on the system 
to the bile, forgetting that the intravenous injection of any solu- 
tion, or even of distilled water, will produce such symptoms. 
Having then decided to inject the bile into the subcutaneous 
cellular tissue, it remained to consider what preparation was best 
for this purpose. Frerichs used filtered bile, but this, though the 
simplest way, was open to many objections. 
It seemed more advisable first to separate from fresh bile the 
salts of the biliary acids, and to inject these in solution in water. 
The method of preparation of these salts corresponded very closely 
with that described by Dr Lauder Brunton in the “ Handbook for 
the Physiological Laboratory.” In this manner a mixture of 
glycocholate and taurocholate of soda is obtained, consisting of 
nearly equal quantities of these salts. This mixture was dissolved 
in distilled water so as to make a solution of known strength. 
In these experiments the solution used contained gr. j. in Hpiij. 
The rabbits experimented on were placed in a cage, the floor of 
which was constructed of glass rods, lying parallel to each other, 
and very close, and which allowed the urine to pass through into 
a porcelain dish placed below for its reception, while it retained in 
the cage the solid excreta. The urine was thus obtained in a very 
pure state, as it passed through the floor of the cage immediately 
on being voided. Its quantity was measured in cubic centimeters, 
as this rendered future calculation much more expeditious. 
The urine was tested in the usual way for albumen, bile acids, 
