On the chemical analysis of the contents of the thoracic duct in the human subject / by G. Owen Rees ; communicated by P.M. Roget.

  • George Owen Rees
Date:
1842
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the chemical analysis of the contents of the thoracic duct in the human subject / by G. Owen Rees ; communicated by P.M. Roget. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    two drachms in a second bottle) coagulated on becoming cold; but the portion ceived in the first bottle being retained in the hand of Mr. Holding, and thus kep a higher temperature, did not coagulate during a full hour; and on subsequer being allowed to cool to the same extent as the specimen obtained in the other bot it still remained perfectly fluid. The coagulation which took place in the other g cimen was however very slight; and a partial resolution of the clot occurred aft( few hours had elapsed*. The specific gravity of this fluid was J‘024. Chemical amination yielded the following results. When fresh, it was neutral in its reaction on test papers; a portion, howe’ which was kept some days, became slightly acid during decomposition. The application of heat coagulated it strongly. The addition of nitric acid { produced a strong curd. Acetic acid did not coagulate it, but, on the contrary, rendered it somewhat m pellucid. The addition of acetic acid and the subsequent addition of a solutioi ferrocyanuret of potassium produced a strong white flocculent precipitate. A f tion of the fluid was next submitted to analysis in the following manner. The proportion of water was ascertained by careful evaporation over a water-b until no decrease of weight was observed by further application of heat; the loss dicated the weight of the water. 'Fhe solid extract obtained was finely powdei digested with ether for a day in a closed vessel, and then again similarly treated v a second portion of the menstruum ; lastly it was washed with ether. The ethei solutions thus obtained were mixed together and evaporated; the solid residue ’ estimated as fatty matter. The portion insoluble in ether was next treated with b ing distilled water, and allowed to digest at a temperature of about 57° Fahr. twelve hours. It was then again similarly treated, care being taken to pour off first digested portion of water as nearly as possible without disturbing the depc before adding the second quantity. The solid matter was then placed on a fi washed with distilled water, dried and weighed as albumen. The filtered liquors i washings were collected and evaporated together, and the dry result treated v successive portions of alcohol, of the specific gravity 0'832, until everything sok in that menstruum was dissolved out. The insoluble portion was then dried ; weighed as ‘‘animal extractive matter and salts soluble in water only;” and the coholic solutions being evaporated, their extract was estimated as “animal extrac matter soluble in water and alcohol.” The salts were obtained from these extr; ives by incineration and carefully conducted decarbonization ; and their wei^ being subtracted from that of their respective extractives, the difference gave the t weight of the animal extractive matter with which they had been combined. ' quantitative analysis, conducted as above, yielded the following result in 100 parts * The fibrin of the lymph and chyle of the Ass coagulate with sufficient strength to admit of sepan and estimation in analysis.
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