456 W. M. SMALLWOOD. 



specific gravity of this fresh blood was 1.04. In two counts of 

 the red corpuscles, the number was 1,680,000 and 1,600,000; 

 while the white corpuscles were 800,000 and 400,000 in the two 

 counts made. Some of this fresh blood was placed in .5 per cent, 

 osmic acid for later study. 



Professor Brewer's 1 chemical analysis of samples of this normal 

 blood gave the total nitrogen in 100 grams as 69 per cent, 

 and the total urea-nitrogen 39.5 per cent. This makes the 

 urea-nitrogen 57.2 per cent, of the total nitrogen in the blood. 

 The remaining nitrogen is in the form of amino-acids. 



When the Amia that had been starved twenty months was 

 killed, a similar study was made, giving the following results: 

 Specific gravity of the starved blood 1.03. Red corpuscle count 

 400,000. There was no evidence of white corpuscles in the 

 several counts made nor in the preparations stained with Wright's 

 blood stain. Some of this blood was placed in .5 per cent, 

 osmic acid. 



The total nitrogen in 100 grams of this starved blood was 

 30.5 per cent, and the urea-nitrogen 18 per cent, which gives the 

 urea-nitrogen as 59 per cent, of the total nitrogen in the starved 

 blood. 



At the same time that the blood of the normal and of the 

 starved animal was being examined as just indicated, a number 

 of cover glass preparations were made and stained with Wright's 

 stain. These and the osmic fixed corpuscles were subsequently 

 studied with the oil immersion lens. It was soon evident that 

 there was no constant difference between the red corpuscles of 

 the normal and starved animals. But to be more certain, 

 microphotographs were made and the negatives projected onto 

 a screen. In this manner each corpuscle became so large that it 

 was readily measured with a millimeter scale. While these 

 measurements were being made, the negatives of the normal and 

 starved blood were in such order that the one making the 

 measurements did not know whether the blood was normal or 

 starved. When these results were checked up, it was found that 

 the size of the red corpuscles had remained fairly constant. 

 No evidence of any definite variation in the red corpuscles of the 



1 The chemical analyses embodied in this paper were made by Professor R. K. 

 Brewer, M.D., of the Department of Chemistry, Syracuse University. 



