G. GENERAL NATURAL HISTORY AND ZOOLOGY. 277 



red corpuscles of the blood. Among other points he ascer- 

 tained that all circumstances tending to increase the temper- 

 ature of the body reduced the size of the corpuscles, such as 

 septicemia, or poisoning an animal by the injection of putrid 

 matter into its vessels, exposure of the body to a high tem- 

 perature, and keeping the animal in a room surcharged with 

 carbonic acid. On the other hand, the breathing of oxygen, 

 exposure of the whole body to cold, the administration of 

 hydrochlorate of quinine, cyanic acid, and alcohol tend to 

 lower the temperature of the body, producing at the same 

 time an enlargement or expansion of the corpuscles. Muriate 

 of morphia constituted an exception ; for, though producing 

 depression of temperature, it also causes diminution of the 

 size of the corpuscles, which is probably explicable on the 

 supposition that it exerts an inhibitory influence on the res- 

 piratory acts, and therefore leads to the accumulation of 

 carbonic acid in the blood. Acute anemia also was found 

 to cause dilatation of the corpuscles. Id A, Dec. 1, 1871, 539. 



MODIFICATION OF BLOOD GLOBULES. . 



Mr. Ritter, of St. Petersburg, has published a report of an 

 extended investigation into the relationships between the 

 modifications of the blood globules and those of the excre- 

 tions, and sums up the result of his inquiries in the following 

 propositions: 1. In subjecting man or animals to the influ- 

 ence of tartar-emetic, or of the sulphuret of antimony, of ar- 

 senious acid, or of phosphorus, large or poisonous doses pro- 

 duce an extensive alteration of the blood, while feeble ones 

 have a much less energetic action. 2. The blood globule is 

 distorted, while crystals of hemoglobin appear simultane- 

 ously. 3. The blood is anemic, the albumen and the globules 

 diminish, the fibrine increases, and the proportion of gas di- 

 minishes. 4. The amount of glucose usually increases, though 

 in certain cases it diminishes. 5. Fatty bodies always in- 

 crease. 6. This is also the case with cholesterine, the varia- 

 tions in the amount of which are much greater than those of 

 the fatty bodies. 7. Their variations are in direct relation 

 with the dose of the poison and the alteration of the globule. 

 This fact would seem to support the hypothesis that the fatty 

 bodies and cholesterine are the product of deoxidation. 8. 

 The composition of the urine varies in a manner similar to 



