RESEARCHES ON CHLOROFORM ANESTHESIA 647 



In order to obtain additional proof that the red corpuscles, 

 as would seem to be the case from the above experiments, are 

 the essential vehicles for the carriage of chloroform, Buckmaster 

 and Gardner argued that if the view was correct that the 

 transport of chloroform was a function of the red corpuscles, 

 then, though the absolute amount of chloroform present in 

 the blood might be modified by abstracting or adding blood 

 from or to an animal, the percentage of chlorofonn ought to 

 remain constant. 



The general plan of the experiments was to anaesthetise an 

 animal with ether or nitrous oxide, allow the anaesthetic to be 

 disengaged from the body, and then administer a known per- 

 centage of chloroform. The determination of the amount of 

 the drug in the blood was made at the asphyxial point. In 

 one hour or an hour and a half all the anaesthetic was 

 eliminated, and during this period a measured amount of 

 blood was abstracted and the experiment repeated. In other 

 experiments the amount of chloroform present was determined 

 in the same animal before haemorrhage, after haemorrhage, and 

 after the replacement of the blood which was furnished from 

 another animal in such quantity as to augment the original 

 volume of the blood by one-third to one-half. 



The general results of all the experiments will now be 

 detailed. 



Average amount of 

 CHCI3 per 100 grammes of blood. 

 Before bleeding. After bleeding. 



Experiments in which the asphyxial ^ 



state was rapidly reached, in \ 0*043 !""&• o'o45 ""^Z- 



about 3 to 9 min. J 



Experiments in which the asphyxial 1 



state occurred in about 30 to r 0*048 „ 0*051 „ 



80 min. ) 



From the above it would appear that the conclusion is 

 justified that the percentage of chloroform in the blood does, 

 not undergo any variation corresponding to differences in the 



