346 
ADDITIONAL OBSERVATIONS ON EXTRACTDM CARNIS. 
“ Inland llevenue, Somerset House, London, 
“ 31s^ October, 1866. 
Sir ,—I am desired to acquaint you, in reply to your inquiry of the 26th instant, 
that a chemist, if authorized by the Commissioners, may continue to make use of methy¬ 
lated spirit in the preparation of articles for external use, provided such articles are not 
capable of being used either wholly or partially as a beverage, or internally as a medi¬ 
cine by man or animal, but the use of methylated finish in any preparation is now abso¬ 
lutely prohibited. 
“ I am. Sir, your obedient servant, 
“ W. Corbett. 
“ Mr. John Hurst ” 
ADDITIONAL OBSERVATIONS ON EXTRACTUM CARNIS. 
BY H. DEANE, E.L.S., AND H. B. BEADY, E.L.S. 
Our paper on the “ Results of the Micro-chemical Examination of Extract of 
Flesh,” read at the recent meeting of the British Pharmaceutical Conference, was 
necessarily of a fragmentary character, if indeed it can be said to be more than 
an outline of the subject; and further experiment naturally yields from time to 
time fresh facts, bearing to a greater or less extent on those already adduced. 
In connection with one of the samples of extract examined, it was stated that 
it contained a large proportion of colloid constituents, and, at the same time, 
gave only a relatively small precipitate with tannic acid; and it was suggested 
that this apparent anomaly might be explained on the supposition that a portion 
of the chondrine or some other gelatinous principle was decomposed by the con¬ 
tinued heat employed in evaporation. We therefore took about sixteen pounds 
of the exhausted meat, left after the preparation of extract, boiled it in water 
for an hour and a half, and strained. The strained liquor (about a gallon) was 
evaporated at a temperature below 212° to about twenty fluid ounces, and 
strained again through calico. When cold, the product took the form of 
a beautiful, clear, colourless, and almost tasteless jelly, about the consistence of 
good calf’s-foot jelly, melting at a low temperature, and easily soluble in water. 
The aqueous solution was readily and completely precipitated by tannic, citric, and 
acetic acids. That the gelatinous matter obtained by this process is chondrine 
we had been made aware of on a previous occasion by a domestic experiment, 
when the attempt was made to render a quantity of the jelly thus prepared 
suitable for table use:—the unfortunate addition of a lemon spoilt the whole. 
A portion of this jelly was evaporated at 212° to extract consistence, and 
the heat continued for some time afterwards. The result was a small quan¬ 
tity of brown non-gelatinous matter, having considerable taste and odour, and 
giving but little precipitate with tannic acid. We may therefore assume, that 
by the application of long-continued heat, as in the process of evaporation 
where large quantities are operated upon, a considerable portion of the gela¬ 
tinous matter is decomposed, and in its place we have the high-coloured, strong- 
smelhng, non-gelatinous extractive, whose presence may be traced in inferior 
samples of extract. The experiment above detailed also shows that the tannic 
acid test must be used in conjunction with dialysis, in estimating the value of a 
preparation. 
The chondrine jelly keeps for a long time unchanged. After three or four 
weeks it becomes fluid, and some which we have had about six weeks is now be¬ 
ginning to show signs of mould. 
The residue of the meat, after exhaustion both of extractive and gelatinous 
matter, acquires a very offensive odour; but the addition of very small propor¬ 
tion of phosphate of soda and chloride of potassium, too small a quantity, as 
