STUDIES IN THE PHYSIOLOGY OF SPERMATOZOA. 



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by the spermatozoa, and since the rate of carbon dioxide pro- 

 duction is, in turn, a function of the hydrogen ion concentration 

 of the suspension, in all measurable concentrations the carbon 

 dioxide production of sperm suspensions falls off with time. 



DIAGRAM II. 



'The term of vitality of spermatozoa varies according to the 

 degree of their admixture with sea water" (Gemmill, J. F., 1900, 

 p. 170). In the most concentrated suspensions the spermatozoa 

 live for the longest time. The length of life of the different sus- 

 pensions as computed from the per cent, of eggs that were fer- 

 tilized by identical concentrations of sperm under identical 

 experimental conditions is recorded in Table III. and graphically 

 represented in Diagram II. 



The concentration of carbon dioxide, like the tension of carbon 

 dioxide with which it is in equilibrium, in any one sample of sea 

 water at any one temperature is completely determined by the 

 hydrogen- potential. As an approximation, sufficient for the 



