The numerous Malpighian bodies in the spleen act as so many electrical
conductors, and the product of their electrical activity is found in the
formic and acetic acid of the fluid plasma which filters through the
Malpighian corpuscles and supplies the acid tissue of the spleen (pulpa
splenica). These acids are the electrolytic division products of
lecithin. In the splenic pulp arise the capillaries of the splenic
veins whose acid blood is carried directly to the liver, where certain
cells formed like galvanic elements possess the property, through the
electrical action of formic and acetic acid, of extracting from blood
albumen the opposite of acids, namely, alkaline bile. The normal
functioning of the liver, therefore, is dependent upon that of the
spleen, and since the bile produced by the liver goes to aid the
digestive activity of the duodenum, disturbance of digestion must result
when the quality of the bile is inferior.

One of the substances contained in bile, lecithin, is of wide
importance. When it was referred to a moment ago, I spoke only of its
individual chemical nature as a fat in combination with ammonium
phosphate, as by so doing I avoided error in connection with its
apparently complicated formula, which includes glycerophosphoric acid,
trimethylamin, palmitic and stearic acids. As it is a fatty substance,
the only question that arises, is, what does it contain besides fat?
This may be answered by a process of substraction:

2 (C_{21} H_{42} O_{4}) C_{42} H_{84} O_{8} which represents tallow or
stearate of glycerine. Lecithin, C_{42} H_{84} O_{9} NP, differs from
this only by a larger amount of NP. The significance of this difference
becomes clear when two atoms of water are added. Then ammonium
phosphate, PO_{3} H_{4}, N is formed. The two atoms of water needed for