Some experiments on the changes which take place in the fixed principles of the egg during incubation.

  • Prout, William, 1785-1850.
Date:
1822
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Some experiments on the changes which take place in the fixed principles of the egg during incubation. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    uniformly during a very long period.* The loss appears to be somewhat greater in summer than in winter, owing, doubt- less, to the difference in temperature, which, in the present instance, varied from 40° to 70'. On being broken, the whole of the contents of this egg were found collected at the smaller extremity in a solid state, but on being put into water, they absorbed a large portion of that fluid, and as- sumed an appearance not much unlike those of a recent egg ; the smell also was perfectly fresh. The relative weights of the shell, albumen, and yelk of dif- ferent eggs are very different. With the view of investi- gating this point, and of obtaining something like an average, the following experiments were made. The eggs were boiled hard in distilled water, and the different parts weighed im- mediately in their moist state. Shell and Membrane. Albumen. Yelk. Total. Grains. Grains. Grains. Grains. bo 394-3 289 763 3 108 593 273-5 974-5 107.3 575-8 236.2 919-3 7A-5 516.5 215 803 io3 503-7 269.3 876 107 515-3 273-4 895-7 93-2 605.5 252.4 95i-i 92-7 515-7 2 57 865.4 9b'.8 510.6 210.8 818.2 77.6 567-4 241.5 886.5 1 93-7 529-8 251.8 875-3 If we suppose each of these eggs to weigh one thousand * If the average of the above means be taken, the loss per day will be about .9 grain.