Human physiology, with which is incorporated much of the elementary part of the Institutiones physiologicae of J.F. Blumenbach.

  • Elliotson, John, 1791-1868.
Date:
1840
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Human physiology, with which is incorporated much of the elementary part of the Institutiones physiologicae of J.F. Blumenbach. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Leeds Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Leeds Library.

    77/1220 (page 71)
    During mastication, there occurs a flow of saliva^, which is a frothy fluid, consisting, according to Berzelius, of Water 992.9 A peculiar animal matter - 2.9 Mucus ------ 1.4? Alkaline muriates - - - 1.7 Lactate of soda and animal matter - 0.9 Pure soda ------ 0.2 1000.0*^ What Berzelius calls mucus, Dr. Thomas Thomson and Dr. Bos- tock regard as albumen. This mucus is insoluble in water, and, when incinerated, but not before, yields a large portion of phos- phate of lime.^ According to an examination by Tiedemann and Gmelin, saliva, mixed with more or less mucus, consists of— A peculiar matter termed salivary; osmazome; mucus; — all essential to its composition: Sometimes a little albumen: A little fatty matter, united with phosphorus: Potass, united with acetic, phosphoric, sulphuric, hydro-chloric, and sulpho-cyanic acid; — all soluble salts : A large quantity of phosphate, and a smaller of carbonate, of lime; a minute quantity of magnesia ; — all three insoluble. The solid contents amount to about P^r cent. The alkaline properties of saliva were before ascribed to a free alkali, and that alkali was supposed to be soda. In the dog the alkali is soda, very little potass being discoverable.^ M. Rastail remarks, that whatever other' persons examine the saliva will have still other results, as different substances are mixed in it at different times, and names are given to the mixture the elements of which are not determined. He discovers that the ^ J. Barth. Siebold, Historia Systematis Salivalis. Jen. 1797. 4to. ^ J. Berzelius, Medico-Chirurgical Transactions, vol. iii. p. 242. ^ The tartar of the teeth arises from its gradual decomposition upon them, and consists, according to Berzelius, of Earthy phosphates - - - 79.0 Undecomposed mucus - - - 12.5 Peculiar salivary matter - - - 1.0 Animal matter soluble in muriatic acid -• 7.5 100.0 * Die Verdauung nach Versuchen, &c. By Fred. Tiedemann and Leopold Gmelin, Professors in the University of Heidelberg.