Action of Carbonic Acid 911 



into the receiver of the mercury pump, in which a solution of 

 sulphuric acid had previously been placed and purified of its gases. 

 The carbonic acid, immediately removed by the sulphuric acid, 

 was easily extracted and collected, and a very simple calculation 

 informed me how much carbonic acid was contained in 100 grams 

 of the experimental tissues. 



I also subjected to the same treatment the alkali solution which 

 had been kept as control, because it still contained a certain quan- 

 tity of carbonic acid, which, of course, had to be subtracted. 



This very simple method, for which I claim no accuracy in the 

 decimals, seems to me to give sufficiently exact results; it has the 

 great advantage of not requiring complicated equipment, and of 

 enabling me to complete a large number of comparative experi- 

 ments easily. 



Experiment DCXX. March 5. Dog of Experiment DCVIII, which 

 died the day before in a bell filled with oxygen. 



80 gm. of muscles, 80 gm. of liver, 70 gm. of brain, 35 gm. of 

 kidneys are placed in flasks of suitable size, which were then filled 

 with a potash solution. 



The next day, the liquids subjected to analysis, as has just been 

 explained, show that: 



100 grams of muscles contained 42 cc. of carbonic acid. 

 100 grams of brain contained 26 cc.-of carbonic acid. 

 100 grams of kidney contained 62 cc. of carbonic acid. 

 100 grams of liver contained 64 cc. of carbonic acid. 



Experiment DGXXI. March 21. 7 o'clock: muscles of the dog of 

 Experiment DCXIV, which had died at 6:45; 100 gm. are placed in a 

 flask with 477 cc. of a potash solution. 



March 23, at 2 o'clock, analysis shows that these 100 gm. contained 

 66 cc. of CO,. 



Now the tissues of an animal killed by true asphyxia, that is, 

 by lack of oxygen without increase of carbonic acid, contain a much 

 smaller proportion of this gas. 



Example: 



Experiment DCXXII. April 4. 7 o'clock in the evening. Muscles 

 of the dog in Experiment CLXXXVIII, which died at 6:45, exhaust- 

 ting the oxygen of a bag full of air, with a solution of potash. 100 gm. 

 are placed in 430 cc. of a solution of potash. 



April 5, at 9 o'clock, these 100 gm. have released 13.2 cc. of CO,. 



Even when animals have died simply in confined air, and when 

 the carbonic acid has not been removed as it was formed, we find 

 that their tissues contain very little carbonic acid. I think I should 



