“Propionic acid 0.0563 Butyric acid 0.0835 Valerianic acid 0.0615
“The quantity digested by a similar liquid containing hydrochloric acid was 0.3376. Hence, taking this as 100, the following numbers represent the relative quantities digested by the other acids:—
“Propionic acid 16.5 Butyric acid 24.7 Valerianic acid 16.1
“6. A third experiment of the same kind gave: [page 91]
“Quantity of fibrin digested in four hours by 10 cub. cent. of the liquid:—
“Hydrochloric acid 0.2915 Propionic acid 0.1490 Butyric acid 0.1044 Valerianic acid 0.0520
“Comparing, as before, the three last numbers with the first taken as 100, the digestive power of propionic acid is represented by 16.8; that of butyric acid by 35.8; and that of valerianic by 17.8.
“The mean of these three sets of observations (hydrochloric acid being taken as 100) gives for
“Propionic acid 15.8 Butyric acid 32.0 Valerianic acid 21.4
“7. A further experiment was made to ascertain whether the digestive activity of butyric acid (which was selected as being apparently the most efficacious) was relatively greater at ordinary temperatures than at the temperature of the body. It was found that whereas 10 cub. cent. of a liquid containing the ordinary proportion of hydrochloric acid digested 0.1311 gramme, a similar liquid prepared with butyric acid digested 0.0455 gramme of fibrin.