318 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



feet. Second, what was the actual pressure corresponding to 

 the full production of a note on each of the principal wind 

 instruments. It was found that with the majority of instru- 

 ments the pressure required for the high notes is considerably 

 greater than that required for the low notes, each instrument 

 having a pressure ratio of its own. The clarionet is an ex- 

 ception to the rule. * 



THE DIAMETER OF THE RED GLOBULES OF BLOOD. 



It has frequently been maintained by Dr. Woodward and 

 others of the best microscopists that in general the micro- 

 scope alone does not enable one to decide, by means of the 

 dimensions of the red globules in blood, whether a blood 

 stain belongs to the human subject or to some other of the 

 mammalia. Additional light has been thrown upon this sub- 

 ject by the recent researches by Bershon and Perrier. They 

 iind that the red globules in the adult, when fresh, have a 

 normal diameter of 0.0083 millimeter. In dried-lip stains, 

 however, the dimensions are as small as 0.0070 millimeter. 

 In the new-born babe many globules are found as small as 

 0.0030, while many others, on the other hand, surpass the 

 normal limit, and are as much as 0.0090. Thus out of 120 

 globules taken at chance from three subjects the dimensions 

 were as follows: 



Millimeter. 



2 globules 0.0031 



2 " 0.0043 



17 " 0.0050 



11 " 0.0056 



32 " 0.0062 



6 " 0.0065 



Millimeter. 



4 globules 0.0068 



14 " 0.0075 



5 " 0.0081 



19 " 0.0087 



2 " 0.0091 



5 " 0.0093 



We see from this the absurdity of pretending that in any 

 case whatever of chemico- legal research the microscopist 

 should pretend to decide as to the character of the blood- 

 stains. Bulletin Hebdomadaire, XVI., 44. 



THE GASES OF THE BLOOD. 



In a paper by Matthieu and Urbain upon the gases of the 

 blood, it is stated that repeated bloodlettings in dogs caused 

 an increased diminution of the percentage of oxygen con- 

 tained in the arterial blood, and exercised but little influence 

 upon the nitrogen and the carbonic acid. In the course of 



