It appears to follow from the foregoing experiments, that the higher members of the series of fatty acids do not result from the putrefaction of proteine compounds; at least from such putrefaction as is accompanied by exclusion of air. Flesh fibrine with restriction of air does not putrefy as rapidly as would be supposed, according to the experiment, where a portion was sealed with water on a microscope slide; the air here was not absolutely excluded, since a partial evaporation of the water took place. It is true that the amount of water in this experiment was small, in proportion to the fibrine, and it appears that much water is necessary to such decomposition, and which supports Liebig’s theory of the motion of the molecules. In the experiments of the bottles and of the sand, the decomposition was _seen to take place_ gradually; the sarcous element of the flesh fibrine separated into discs, and these were by degrees resolved into their simpler compounds, which either remained as liquids or gases in solution in the bottles, or were carried off by the droppings in the sand experiment. The original fat of the body, according to circumstances, either partakes of this decomposition, or else, losing its glycerine and most of its oleic acid, becomes gradually converted into adipocire. In some bodies in the grave yards the fat is totally gone, while in others large quantities of adipocire are formed. It is suggestive that in all cases where adipocire has been found, the corpse was of a large and fat person, and this abundance of fat resists an ultimate decomposition. Analyses by Beetz of candles which had remained for a hundred years in a mine, prove that the only alteration undergone by fats when alone, is destruction of their oleine and glycerine. In the bottles of my experiments no adipocire was formed, although the fat of the coronary vessels was only partially removed; this may be accounted for on the ground that the fat, which was small in quantity, was here kept in close contact with the decomposing fibrine, and suffered with it decomposition, whereas in the sand experiment, this could only take place to a less degree. In grave yards, if the proportion of flesh to fat be large, and especially if the ground be of such a nature as to prevent the decomposed matter being carried off, as by draining, adipocire cannot be formed, but the fat undergoes full decomposition.