Chloroform, P^-ussie Acid, &c., on the Blood. 81 



chemical action on vegetable tissues as revealed by tbe microscope ; 

 when once witnessed it can never be forgotten. 



Experiment. — A section of a tender vine was made and placed 

 on a glass slide with water, and chloral hydrate added ; a reddish 

 tint pervaded some of the cells ; but when ammonia and chloral 

 were added together, the tissue became tinged with a dirty red. 



Again : prussic acid and ammonia combined were added to 

 another vine section, and produced a most beautiful and striking 

 reaction. The woody ducts were seen filling up with bright red 

 fluid. In both these instances I have no doubt formyl, or foi-mic 

 acid, attacks the iron combined with the fluids or tissue of the plant. 



I can adduce a number of similar experiments, carried out 

 with the same chemical agents, which more or less yield evidence 

 of a similar kind of reaction ; but this would prove tedious and 

 superfluous, 



I now proceed to sum up my experiments. Hydrate of chloral 

 administered by the stomach or subcutaneously injected, gives rise 

 to the production of bright red or dark red particles, masses, or 

 globules in the blood. Starchy bodies are also met with accom- 

 panying these charges. The urine also exhibits these bodies. The 

 same results follow when vapour of hydrate of chloral is applied to 

 fresh-drawn blood. 



Ammonia, administered by the lungs, or subcutaneously injected 

 during the action of hydrate of chloral on the animal economy, 

 appears to heighten these efiects. 



Formic acid added to fresh blood also causes the production of 

 dark red globules and particles. 



Lactic acid conjoined with prussic acid does the same. 



Prussic acid and ammonia conjoined yields the same results. 



The action of hydrate of chloral, while decomposing under 

 ammonia on a salt of iron, presents changes which to my mind are 

 identical. 



The chemical effects of hydrate of chloral and ammonia, of 

 prussic acid and ammonia, on some vegetable tissues, appear to be 

 much the same in character as those produced in the blood, minus, 

 of course, the solid albuminous matter. All these results I refer to 

 the action of formyl or ammonio-formate on the iron in the blood, 

 or in the vegetable tissues. 



The decomposition of lactic acid with prussic acid can supply 

 chemically the elements necessary for the production of formyl or 

 formate of ammonia ; as also prussic acid and ammonia. 



There are one or two more experiments to which I must refer, 

 i.e. the chloroformed rat, in which the blood was noticed to be 

 reddish, but scarcely any red matter was seen. It would appear the 

 chemical condition of the blood is not capable of readily decom- 

 posing chloroform ; such also is the case, I believe, with hydrate of 



