FLESH (AS. ficr.sc, 011CI. fleisk. Ger. Fleisch, flesh, feel. flesh:, pork). The ordinary term for animal tissues, excluding bone. After the re moval of the blood-vessels, nerves, cartilage, vis cera, connective (or cellular) tissue, and areolar tissue, the resulting muscle (q.v.) is popularly called flesh. Numerous analyses have been made of the muscular substance or various animals. The following table gives the determinations of the individual constituents of beef freed as far as possible from blood-vessels. and may be re garded as fairly representing the composition of flesh generally: This list, howerer, does not include all the in gredients of flesh. In the freshly expressed mus cular juice, which exhibits a strong acid reaction, we also find small quantities of proteids (myosin, muscle-albumen, and hmmoglobin), acids (sar colaetic acid and acid phosphates), salts of potas sium and sodium, mineral substances (phosphoric acid and potash), and extractives (either basic substances or amides, as kreatin, xanthin, carnin, and carnie acid—all representing the fragments of broken-down proteids and of no use as tissue builders). There are also found hypoxanthin
and formic, butyric, and acetic acids, which may all be products of decomposition, uric acid, and urea, and inosit (q.v.). Bernard discovered glycogen (q.v.) in the muscles of the embryos of various animals.
The dried flesh of the ox is practically identical in its ultimate composition with dried blood, as is shown by the following analyses, which were. made by Playfair: For further information on the subjeet, con sult: Liebig, Researches on the Chenlistr• of Food. translated by Gregory ( Edinburgh. 1847) ; Lehmann, Physiological Chemistry, vol. iii. (Lon don, 1853) : iInmgee, Physiological Chemist ry (London, ISSO) ; llutchison, Food and the [Yin ciples of Theiclics (London, 190(1). See also bibliography linder EMISTIt Y, PH TS 10 LOG ICAL.