BLOOD OF ANIMALS. 107 
Blood are phosphates of lime, and magnesium, with chlorides, 
sulphates, and phosphates of potash and soda. In Pickwick, 
Mr. Roker, the coarse turnkey at the Fleet Prison for debt, 
when showing Mr. Pickwick what were to be his wretched 
quarters there, turned fiercely round on him whilst he was mildly 
expostulating, and uttered in an excited fashion “certain 
unpleasant invocations concerning his own eyes, limbs, and 
circulating fluids.” 
Pliny tells us that the Blood of animals (and, indeed, human 
Blood as well) was administered in his time for curative purposes ; 
so likewise the Blood of the ox is in medicinal vogue to-day in 
certain parts of the Western Hemisphere. This is because of 
the well-ascertained fact that iron, particularly its organic salt 
(hemoglobin) as found in Blood, forms one of the most important 
constituents. It may be thus supplied from the pig in the 
culinary form of black puddings; as likewise from the ox, or 
sheep, if so desired. Among the Boers in South Africa dog’s 
Blood is an established remedy for convulsions, and fits. 
It is of modern discovery that in health the human liver has 
to receive a comparatively large allowance of iron, for carrying 
on the vital processes of combustion and oxidation, as its special 
functions. This iron is best obtained from the food, and not 
through any form of physic. We know that many animals, espe- 
cially beasts of prey, derive their needful supply of iron exclusively 
from meat containing a large proportion of Blood, which is rich 
in organic iron. Towards overcoming the natural repugnance 
of a patient to drinking animal Blood for acquiring its iron 
remedially, some skilful foreign chemists have produced this 
essential product of late in a compact form, which they term 
** Sanguinal,” as a brownish red powder consisting (as is asserted) 
of pure crystallized hemoglobin, with the mineral Blood con- 
stituents, and of muscle albumin. Hypothetically it is fair to 
suppose that in this way the red corpuscles of a bloodless patient 
may be beneficially augmented. 
Pepys (October 17th, 1667) observed about a Mr. Andrews 
who was dining with him. “‘ What an odd, strange fancy he hath 
to raw meat, that he eats it with no pleasure unless the Blood 
run about his chops,” which it did now by a leg of mutton that 
was not above half-boiled ; but “it seems at home all his meat © 
is dressed so, beef and all.” ce - 
Practical experiments have shown that metellic iron, in 
