RELATIONS OF ANIMAL HEAT TO RESPIRATION. 431 



parts is increased many times, the error in the deduction is 

 palpable enough. It is not sufficient to show that the blood 

 coming from an inflamed tissue, with an abnormally high 

 temperature, contains more oxygen than under ordinary 

 conditions, but it is indispensable to demonstrate that the 

 absolute quantity of oxygen consumed is diminished. For 

 example, if the venous blood should contain double the normal* 

 proportion of oxygen, but the quantity coming from the part 

 should be increased threefold, it is evident that the actual 

 consumption of oxygen would be doubled. As an illustra- 

 tion, let us assume that, in one minute, 100 parts of blood, 

 containing 10 parts of oxygen, circulate through a member, 

 losing in its passage 7*5 parts of oxygen, thus leaving a pro- 

 portion of 2*5 of oxygen for the venous blood ; if the part 

 become inflamed, let us suppose that during the same period, 

 300 parts of blood, with 30 parts of oxygen, pass through, but 

 that the venous blood contains five per cent, of oxygen, or 15 

 parts. That would show an actual consumption of 15 parts of 

 oxygen in inflammation, against 7'5 under normal nutrition. 

 Estor and Saint-Pierre do not state the amount of increase in 

 the quantity of blood circulating through inflamed tissues, but 

 they admit that, " in inflammation, the vessels are dilated, and 

 the current of blood is more rapid." * An increase in the 

 absolute quantity of blood passing through parts after divi- 

 sion of the sympathetic nerves distributed to the coats of the 

 blood-vessels has been observed by all who have experi- 

 mented on the subject ; and the increase is probably greater 

 than that which we have assumed in our argument. An 

 additional argument in favor of our interpretation of the 

 experiments of Estor and Saint-Pierre is the fact, noted by 

 them, that the blood from inflamed parts contains more 

 carbonic acid than ordinary venous blood. 9 



Taking into account all the facts bearing upon the ques- 

 tion, there can be little doubt, that while the processes of 



1 Journal de V anatomic, Paris, 1865, tome ii., p. 314. 

 1 Idem., Paris, 1864, tome i., p. 412. 



