056 
THE PHARMACEUTICxVL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [February 11,1371. 
history, for he says, “ Ichthyocolla is the name of a fish 
with a glutinous slcin; the glue which is made from it 
is also known by the same name.” He further says, 
“That of Pontus is highly esteemed, it is white, free 
from scales, and dissolves with the greatest rapidity.” 
This proves incontestably, first, that the Greeks ob¬ 
tained it from the Black and Caspian Seas, as the 
Russians do at the present day ; and, secondly, that, 
besides this imported isinglass, the Romans had found 
that certain fish-skins yielded an inferior but still use¬ 
ful kind of fish-glue. 
Isinglass (supposed to be derived from Hausenhlase , 
or sturgeon’s bladder) is generally understood to be the 
air-bladders of certain fishes carefully prepared by dry¬ 
ing ; but it is the gelatine which these organs contain in 
such abundance and purity which is the valuable part for 
food purposes; and this is obtainable, though less easily, 
and of less purity from the skin, the membranes of the 
stomach and other integuments of the same, and many 
other kinds of fish. This particular kind of gelatine has 
two principal uses ; first, as an article of food, and se¬ 
condly, as a means of clarifying various preparations, 
especially fermented liquors; to these may be added its 
use as a cementing material, which, however, is not 
very important. 
As an article of food only the finer kinds of Russian 
isinglass are generally used; these are obtained from 
various species of the genus Acipenser (Family, Sturio- 
nidee), viz.:— 
Acipenser Huso (Linn.). The Beluga. 
A. Guldenstadtii (Brandt and Ratzeburg). The Os- 
seter. 
A. Rulhenius (Linn.). The Sterlet. 
A. stcllatus (Pallas). The Sewruga. 
These arc all natives of the Caspian and Black Seas, 
and are chiefly caught in the rivers flowing into these 
seas, the Yolga especially. The more common species of 
Acipenser , A. sturio , the sturgeon which is found widely 
distributed not' only in the rivers of Europe but also in 
those of North Amci*ica, has not been used for obtaining 
isinglass, because, I presume, it is never found in great 
numbers in the European rivers. Professor Owen in 
1851 called the attention..of the Canadians to the fact 
that the sturgeon abounds in the large rivers of North 
America, and suggested the utilization of their isinglass, 
which has been since collected, although not in very 
great quantities. 
One other fish is known to be taken by the Russian 
isinglass traders, namely, the Silurus cjlanis , a large fish 
which is supposed to yield the Samovy isinglass of 
commerce. 
The preparation of isinglass, whether for the purposes 
of food or otherwise, is the same. I will therefore say a 
few words upon the process employed by the fishers. 
The air-bladders, when removed from the fishes, are 
usually slit open or turned inside out, well washed, and the 
inner membrane, which has a silvery lustre and greater 
consistency than the outer one, is stripped off to form 
the finest qualities, or left on as the case may be. The 
air-bags are then carefully dried in various ways; thus, 
by some curers they are slit open and spread out to dry, 
by others they are stretched between pegs giving the 
staple form, as seen by these specimens, whilst others 
told the opened sheets so as to form these specimens of 
book-isinglass. The Brazilian and Indian methods, pro¬ 
bably from the fact that drying is a much easier process 
in those warm climates, are of a much more simple cha¬ 
racter. 
Of Brazilian there are two kinds, lump and pipe. The 
lump is the collapsed air-bladder, flattened and dried; 
the pipe kind appears to have been dried with air in it, 
so as to distend it and allow the inner membrane to dry 
thoroughly. 
There are three kinds of Indian; lump, leaf and pipe. 
When isinglass is imported it lias to be prepared for 
use by first softening it by moisture, then rolling it 
into thin sheets between powerful metal rollers, after 
which it is cut into fine shreds. Before these mechanical 
appliances were thought of, it was rudely prepared by 
cutting it into pieces and then pulling these pieces into 
small shreds by the fingers, or cutting into thin pieces 
by knives. 
As a clarifying material its use is very extensive 
amongst brewers; it is also used in clearing some kinds- 
of wine and other liquids, but its exact operation is 
not quite understood. By some it is believed that as 
the gelatine dissolves in the liquids to be cleared, it 
spreads in thin, net-like films, which gradually sink and 
carry down with them the suspended impurities. Others 
believe that the thin shreds of the isinglass contain net- 
like membranes, which as the gelatine dissolves out, are 
left expanded in the fluid, and, as they sink, carry 
down the impurities as in the other case. The latter is 
most likely the mode by which it operates, because it is 
quite certain that a solution of the pure gelatine of isin¬ 
glass will not produce the same effect, neither some- 
kinds of fish-sounds, prepared as isinglass, which are 
from time to time tried for this purpose. 
Of the substances allied to isinglass which are found 
in commerce I may mention the— 
Cod-sounds, which are the air-bladders of the cod* 
they are salted and not usually dried, and are only 
used for food; they come to us from the cod-fisherics- 
of our own country and Newfoundland. 
Fish-maws, which are the stomachs of certain fishes 
caught on the shores of India and the Indian 
islands; they are dried and form an important 
article of commerce to China, Japan and other 
Eastern countries. We have no reliable informa¬ 
tion as to the fishes which yield them. 
Sharks’ fins and skin, in consequence of the large 
amount of gelatine they contain, also form an im- 
poi’tant trade with the same nations. 
Yisiaga, the curious article I now show you, forms 
one of the greatest delicacies of the Russian cuisine. 
It consists of the long tendons which lie along the 
vertebral column of the various species of sturgeon, 
from which it is separated, dried over lines, and tied 
up in bundles for sale. When used, it is soaked 
until soft, cut into lengths of about an inch, and 
made with rice and some condiments into very deli¬ 
cious pies, which, however, from their costliness, 
are only found at the tables of the wealthy. 
On the table I have placed specimens of Indian and 
Siamese fish-maws, shark’s skin and fins, viziaga, and 
the following kinds of isinglass:— 
Russian. 
Beluga Leaf, from Acipenser Huso. 
Astracan Leaf, from ditto. 
Short Staple, fi-om A. Gnldenstadtii. 
Siberian Purse. 
from Silurus glanis. 
Probably from Silurus Parkerii - 
o 
O. 
Samovy Leaf, | 
Samovy Book, j 
Long Staple. 
Short Staple. 
Rolled. 
Cut. 
Brazilian. 
Block or Cake, 
Lump, 
Purse, 
Tongue or Pipe, 
Rolled and Cut. 
Guiana and West Indian. 
Gilbacker lump (British Guiana), from Silurus- 
Parkerii. 
Ditto, cut. 
French Guiana lump, from the Machoiran. 
West Indian lump, from Silurus felis. 
North American. 
Hudson’s Bay Purse. 
