510 ME. J. PEIESTLEY ON THE PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTION OE VANADIUM. 
Post mortem Examination. 
Blood very dark in colour; exhibits the normal haemoglobin bands; 
coagulates firmly and normally. 
Muscles irritable to tactile stimuli. 
Heart not irritable ; right side distended. 
Liver normal ; or, if any thing, darker than usual. 
Stomach empty of food, but filled with a tenacious mucus ; general con- 
gestion of mucous membrane, especially over the posterior surface, except 
near the pylorus, where it has the normal tint. On examination of the 
more highly congested regions we can make out that the arborescent injec- 
tion is especially to be observed on the summits of the prominent rugse, and 
is irregularly scattered over the mucous membrane bordering the alveoli. 
At some points extravasations of blood of a very limited extent are to be 
seen. 
Duodenum is in a state of intense congestion, covered with dark red 
mucus in which are seen under the microscope innumerable blood-corpuscles 
and epithelial cells. 
The same appearances exhibited by the rest of the small intestine ; un- 
doubted extravasations of blood exist besides the congestion. A Peter’s 
patch at the lower end of the ileum is undoubtedly enlarged ; its borders 
are elevated, but, strangely enough, it is not so deeply injected as the adjacent 
mucous membrane. 
Rectum undoubtedly injected. 
Kidneys normal at the cortex, but slightly congested at the pyramids. 
The blood yielded little or no serum after standing over night in the 
laboratory. 
The intestine and liver, which were examined for vanadium in Dr. Roscoe’s 
laboratory, were found to contain it. The following is the report of Mr. S. 
Carson, who made the determination for us ; — 
“ The intestines were cut up into small pieces and roasted in a platinum 
dish in a muffle-furnace until all the organic matter was burnt away. The 
ash left was moistened with a little pure HC1 and warmed for some time 
on the water-bath. Water was then added; and after boiling for some 
time, the insoluble portion was filtered off and the filtrate (which had a 
distinct blue colour) examined for vanadium. It was evaporated to dryness 
and fused with a little KN0 3 ; the mass was again taken up by water, and 
a little oxalic acid added, which brought out the blue colour more distinctly. 
It was sought to estimate the vanadium in this solution by precipitating with 
(NHJC1, but the quantity present was too small to admit of quantitative 
estimation. 
