264 Dr. Meyer on the Gases of the Blood. 
previously freed from air, and the ebullition effected at as low a 
temperature as possible by keeping the vacuous receiver cold. 
As soon as the free gases had been thus collected, the combined 
carbonic acid was expelled by allowing a few crystals of tartaric 
acid to fall into the liquid, and the gas thus liberated was col- 
lected by a repetition of the process of ebullition zn vacuo. The 
details of the manipulation, together with several special pre- 
cautions which the peculiar nature of the subject rendered 
necessary, are given at full length in the original memoir. 
Eudiometrie analysis gave the following composition of the 
eas thus collected from 100 volumes of blood, and reduced to 
0° C. and 0™:76 pressure of mercury :-— 
Date Free Free | Com- | ‘Total | Total 
1856. Description of blood. gas. oO. N. |co2, ae Co2, eS 
Jan. 17.|Carotid artery, Dog No. 2.) ...... | cesses | cooees Jeseeee 23°75 
Feb. 12. 2 * 1.| 20-88/12-43 | 2-83 | 5-62] 28-61] 34-23 | 49-49 
ell! - a Ele es (3°79) |(2-94)|....0.| wees (27-10)|(33-84) 
Pal bc + + 5) | 28°24|18-42 | 4°55 | 5-28) 20-97) 26°25 | 49°21 
” 98, af ae 1. 25-50/14-29 | 5-04 | 6-17) 28°58] 34-75 | 54-08 
Defibrinated blood shaken with } | 17.94/11-55 | 4-40 | 1-09 18-12]-19-21 | 35-16 
air at 21°5 C. and 0"-7463 pan leat 
PEOSSNKES ct pnetacs aoteecesorrces i ait ve eh ” VERT oar hs rhe 
The dog No. 1 was full grown, and weighed 7:5 kilogrammes ; 
that called No. 2 was not full grown, and weighed 9°5 kilo- 
grammes. A distinct difference is observed in the composition 
of the gases from the blood of these two animals: that of the 
younger dog contained less combined carbonic acid and far more 
free oxygen. The gases from the blood of the same animal 
appear to possess a tolerably constant composition. 
The numbers which are enclosed in parentheses represent ex- 
periments in which the crystals of tartaric acid were added to 
the blood before the free gases were removed by ebullition. 
These determinations gave the same quantity of carbonic acid 
and nitrogen as those in which the free gases were expelled 
before the addition of tartaric acid, but in the former, the quan- 
tity of oxygen which is expelled by boiling is much smaller, pro- 
ving that the acid has caused an oxidation of some of the con- 
stituents of the blood to occur, without, however, forming car- 
bonie acid. 
The absorptiometer employed by Bunsen * is not applicable to 
experiments on the absorption of gases in the blood. A more 
convenient instrument for this purpose consists of a cylindrical 
tube containing the blood, connected with a bent tube in which 
the gas under examination is placed, and upon which the pressure 
* For description sec Bunsen’s ‘Gasometry,’ or Phil. Mag. Feb, 1855. 
