STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 763 



The following are ultimate analyses by Dr. Dugald Campbell, 

 given in Dr. Thompson's lectures (p. 34) : 



Carbon. Hydrogen. Oxygen. Nitrogen 



Cod liver oil, 8U.18 13.';2 5.854 .246 



, Olive oil, 69.38 13.47 17.092 .058 



A proximate analysis by M. Braconnot of olive oil, one of the 



vegetable oils richest in olein, gives — 



OfOlein Margarine. 



72 28 



Vegetable oils or fats are observed to be much longer in under- 

 going digestion, and in their passage through the system, than the 

 other elements of food. They contain in the same space the 

 greatest proportion of elements necessary for the support of 

 vitality, according to Lehmann, whose work I have recently been 

 able to obtain, the first and second volumes in German, the third 

 in English. I find in vol. iii., page 358, the following computa- 

 tion : — " If in a given time the organism absorbs 100 grammes* 

 of oxygen, the following quantities would be necessary, in union 

 with 100 grammes of oxygen, to satisfy the requirements of 

 vitality; — Of fat. 34.23 grammes; starch, 84.37 grammes; sugar; 

 93.75. From which it will be seen that a pound of fat or oil in 

 ) combination with tlie oxygen supplied by the air is equal to 

 nearly 3 lbs. of starch or sugar." 



Lehmann, vol. iii., pp. 336 to 339, gives a series of interesting 

 experiments by Vierordt, who fuiind the mean or his average 

 respirations whilst in a state of rest to be 12 per minute, by 

 whicli he exfjired 366 cubic inches of air containing 13.5 cubic 

 inches of carbonic acid; by increasing liis res])irations to 96 per 

 minute he expired 2,928 cubic inches, containing 79 cubic inches 

 of carbonic acid. From this we learn that the organs of respira- 

 tion are endcnved with a capability far beyond tlie normal re- 

 quirements, the volume of air being increased eiglit-f >ld, that of 

 carbonic acid nearly six-fold. Had Vicruidt been able to con- 

 tinue these labored resj)irati(>ns without damage to his organs, he 

 must necessarily have consumed more food for the increase of 

 carbonic acid, or otherwise have expended his own substance. 



At l)age 381, vol. iii., Lehmaiui recites ex]H'rinients carefully 

 conducted ])y Han(jver on i)atiei)ts sutVering frimi judmonary 

 disease, whicli show that the absolute amount of carbonic acid 



*28 f^nmmrs and a fraction make an ounce. 



