Dairy Management. 193 



The following are ultimate analyses by Dr. Dugald. Campbell, 

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



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

 vegetable oils richest in olein, gives — 



Of Olein. 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 great- 

 est 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 ot 

 vitality ; — Of fat, 34-23 grammes ; starcli, 84-37 grammes ; sugar, 

 93-75. From which it w ill be seen that a pound of fat or oil in 

 combination with the 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 found the mean or his average 

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

 which he expired 366 cubic inches of air containing 13"5 cubic 

 inches of carbonic acid ; by increasing his respirations to 96 per 

 minute he expired 2928 cubic inches, containing 79 cubic inches 

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

 tion are endowed with a capability far beyond the normal re- 

 quirements, the volume of air being increased eight-fold, that of 

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

 tinue these laboured respirations 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 page 381, vol. iii., Lehmann recites experiments carefully 

 conducted by Hanover on patients suffering from pulmonary 

 disease, which shows that the absolute amount of carbonic acid 

 increases with the number of respirations, whilst the relative 

 amount (that which is contained in a given volume of air) 

 diminishes. These experiments tend to confirm in a remarkable 

 manner my suspicions as to a greater consumption of carbon 

 during this disease ; they show also that the organs of respira- 

 tion, though weakened, inhale a greater quantity of air, and 



VOL. XVIII. 



