On the minute structure and chemical composition of tubercular deposits / by John Hughes Bennett.

  • Bennett, John Hughes, 1812-1875.
Date:
1846
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the minute structure and chemical composition of tubercular deposits / by John Hughes Bennett. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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

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    mass of soluble salts should thus remain in an organ abundantly supplied with fluids. Dr Wrighti of Birmingham, has made many analyses of tu- bercle, and found its chemical composition to vary, in different specimens, of softened or cheesy tubercle. He gives the two fol- lowing analyses as the mean of his investigations :— Fatty matter with oil globules 15'9 Gelatine ..^ 6'4 Phosphates) Lime ) l,-2 Sulphates- g^j^ 112 Muriates ~ ) ' Carbonate of lime ~ a trace Oxide of iron a trace Albuminous matter with fibrin 65'2 Fatty matter with oil globules ^ ™ 7'4 Gelatine 11-8 Phosphates 1 Lime ) o-^ Sulphates-, g^j^ 2 5 Munates ~ ) ' Albuminous matter^ —.....—76'9 He denies the correctness of M. Boudefs statement, regarding the large amount of soluble salts in cretaceous tubercle. Such I believe are all the analyses of tubercle hitherto pub- lished. It will be seen that they differ materially from each other, and that further researches are necessary. It was with much pleasure, therefore, I heard last spring, from my friend Dr Glover, lecturer on chemistry, at Newcastle, that he was anxious to make investigations into the chemical composition of tubercle. At his request I furnished him with many specimens of this morbid depo- sit in all its forms ; and I now publish the note he has been so good as to furnish me with, giving the result of his inquiries. Many attempts have been made by chemists, to ascertain the constitution of tubercle, and to compare the composition of this formation with that of other morbid structures. The great diffi- culty in the way of such investigation is the exceedingly imperfect state of the means that we possess of recognizing differences in the various forms of organization by chemical means, and between the different proximate chemical constituents of the tissue ; that is between fibrin, caseine, and albumen. In the researches which have hitherto been made on the sub- ject, the difficulties have been too lightly estimated. We find constituents, as caseine and gelatine, set down as existing in tu- bercle on grounds altogether too trivial to warrant such a conclu- sion. After numerous investigations, I have never been able to convince myself, that either of the suljstances mentioned, exist in tubercle, although I am not unwilling to believe that the albumen Medical Times, vol. ii. pp. 418-9.