400 DISCOVERY REPORTS 



Samples of whale blood brought to England from the Antarctic at — io° C. were shown 

 to contain organisms which reproduced in nutrient solution and were apparently 

 bacteria. Investigations are still in progress. 



5. The haemoglobin content of whale blood is low, approximately 9 per cent, com- 

 pared with 13-8 per cent in human blood. The oxygen capacity of the blood is roughly 

 proportional to the haemoglobin content and averages 14 vol. per cent. Whale blood 

 therefore has a smaller capacity for oxygen than human blood. 



6. The carbon dioxide contents of the blood have been found to be slightly greater 

 than the human equivalent. Carbonic anhydrase has been noted in adult and foetal 

 blood ; there is more of this enzyme in the foetal blood than has been found in the 

 blood of foetal goats. 



LITERATURE CITED 



Andrews, R. Chapman, 1916. Whale Hunting with Gun and Camera. New York and London. 



Barcroft, J., 1925. The Respiratory Function of the Blood . Cambridge. 



Bennett, A. G., 1931. Whaling in the Antarctic. Edinburgh. 



Bock, A. V., Field, H., and Adair, G. S., 1924. Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide Dissociation Curves in Blood. 



Journ. biol. Chein., Lix, p. 353. 

 Boycott, A. E., Damant, G. C. C, and Haldane, J. S., 1908. The Prevention of Compressed Air Illness. 



Journ. Hyg., viii, p. 356. 

 Brinkman, R., Margaria, R., Meldrum, N. U., and Roughton, F. J. W., 1932. The CO^ Catalyst Present 



in Blood. Journ. Physiol., lxxiv P. 

 Ellenburger, W. Die Physiologie der Hausgethiere. Quoted by Smith, q.v. 

 Evans, C. Lovatt, 1930. Starling's Principles of Human Physiology, 5th ed., London. 

 Greene, C. W. and C. H., 1922. Oxygen in Blood in Induced Anoxaemia. Journ. biol. Chem., Lii, p. 137. 

 Goldberg, G., 1907. Ueber das Verhahren bei Berechnung des Rauminhaltes und Gewichtes der grossen 



Waltiere. Christiania Videnskabs-Selskabs Forhandlinger for 1907, No. 3. 

 Hill, L., 1912. Caisson Sickness. London. 

 MoRiMOTO, Y., Takata, M., and Sudzuki, M., 1921 . Untersuchungen tiber Cetacea. Tohoku Journ. of Exp. 



Med., II, \, passim. 

 Ommanney, F. D., 1932. The Vascular Networks {Retia Mirabilia) of the Fin Whale (Balaenoptera Physalus). 



Discovery Reports, v, pp. 327-62, text-figs. i-io. 

 ScoRESBY, W., 1820. An Account of the Arctic Regions. Edinburgh. 

 Smith, A., 1895. Manual of Veterinary Physiology . London. 

 Van Slyke, D. D., 1917. Studies in Acidosis. II. A Method for the Determination of Carbon Dioxide and 



Carbonates in Solution. Journ. biol. Chem., xxx, p. 347. 



APPENDIX 



A NOTE ON THE COMPOSITION OF WHALE BLOOD 



Appearance. Whale blood drawn from an artery after death is dark red, almost 

 maroon. After aeration it is darker than aerated human blood. If aerated whale blood is 

 diluted with weak ammonia, as in the estimation of oxygen capacity by Barcroft's 

 method, the red colour is tinged with blue which is particularly noticeable by trans- 

 mitted light. (It is possible that the blue colour has some connection with the occasional 

 blueness observed in the X organisms.) 



