The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-07-01
THE USES Of
GALLSTONEs
It's a Mystery Why Japan Has
Been Buying So Many Biliary
Calculi Which Are Scarce
BY-pHODUcT IS VERY EXPENSIVE
Largest Shipment Of Gall Ever Made
from Chicago Stockyards Was rs
Tierces and Il Yielded not One
Stone-Worth $175 a Pound.


The newspapers have been making
mystery of the demand from Japan
for gall stones from beef animals.
Dispatches have told of mysterious
shipments Of this by.product of a
packing house from Chicago to Japan
ese destinations, but no one has been
able to explain why the Japanese
wanted all of this product that Pack
ingtown could supply, or why they
were willing to pay such apparently
enormous prices for the gall stones.
A study of the situation will probably
show that the high prices have been
due in a large measure to the fact
that very few gall stones have been
found, which fact would allow the
good old law of supply and demand
to get in its work.
The demand of late by Japan for
gall stones has caused quite a little
interest in this product, to say nothing
of the price the Japanese are willing
to pay, which Is 500 to S175 per
pound. Gall, on the other hand.
brings the packer only about cents
per gallon.
In this connection 1t is interesting
to know that the largest shipment CT
gall ever made from Chicagos pack.
ingtown on one order was 75 tierces,
and strange as It may seem, not one
gall stone was found in the whole
batch of gall bladders cut open for
this shipment Perhaps the fact that
the gall stones are worth approx
mately IS each may have had some.
thing to do with that.
One big concern states they have
rot collected a pound and a half OF
gall stones In a year and a half. An
other concern, probably killing the
greatest number OF cattle OF any one
company. collect from all their houses
about three pounds per month.
These stones must be carefully
handled. as they are particularly de.
sired whole. and not broken up or pull
verified. The gall stones are first air
dried, then wrapped in fine tissue
paper then in a generous wad of cot
ton. and packed in cotton, so that
there is no possibility Of their being
broken in shipment. One pound thus
packed makes quite large box.
What these stones are used for by
the Japanese is secret they have not
GO far divulged. However, some OF
our packers have concluded that they
are used in physiological chemistry.
f,,o1 % tof
they are used in the process of dyeing
fine fabrics, such as silk. etc. The lat
ter use seems quite feasible, in view
Of the fact that the gall from an ami.
NAL contains much more coloring mat
ter than that from the human, owing
no doubt to the quantity and variety
of herbage consumed by the animal.
Gall from beef animal is composed
as follows: Water, 90.44 per cent;
hillary and fatty bodies, including
resinoid acids, 500 per cent; mucus,
O30 per cent; watery extract, chlor-
ides, phosphates and lactates, 0.S5
per cent; soda, 0.41 per cent. If the
solid portions of the bile be in ex-
cess, especially the chlosterine, bill
cry calculi or gall stones will form in
the gall bladder.
Beef gall is we'll known and ef-
fectnal detergent, and is used in the
manufacture of soap as follows: One
hundred and fifty parts of beef's gall
are amalgamated with $500 parts
melted cocoanut oil, and the mass
saponified by the cold process with
1900 parts Of soda lye of 38 degrees 3.
The soap is then colored with 33 parts
of ultramarine green and perfumed
with 7 IL parts of oils of lavender and
cumin.
To cleanse beef's gall to be used as
a varnish on paintings, ETC., boil in a
porcelain receptacle 45 parts Of beefs
gall with water and then add two
parts of powdered alum. Agitate for
half an hour, and when cold filter.
Then add to the mass, which is now
decolorized, is part of anhydrous
spirits Of wine, and let the mixture
stand for two days; then pour Off the
supernatant clear fluid, the alum be-
ing precipitated in small crystals
The National Provisioner.