304 ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY FOR NURSES 



Functions of bile: i. Assists in the emulsification of fats. 2. Stimulates 

 the peristaltic movements. 3. Prevents putrefactive changes in the 

 food. 4. Promotes the absorption of the fat. 



Amount of blood in the body: From 16 to 18 pounds. 



Size of red corpuscles: j^o of an inch. 



Size of white corpuscles: ^yo 7 inch. 



Shape of red corpuscles: Circular biconcave disks. 



Shape of white corpuscles: Globular. 



Number of red corpuscles in a cubic millimeter (the cubic -^ inch of blood}: 

 5,000,000. 



Function of red corpuscles: To carry oxygen from the lungs to the tissues. 



Frequency of the heart's pulsation a minute: 72 on the average. 



Velocity of the blood movement in the arteries: About 1 2 inches a second. 



Length of time required for the blood to make an entire circuit of the vascu- 

 lar system: About twenty seconds. 



Amount of air passing in and out of the lungs at each respiratory act: 

 From 20 to 30 cubic inches. 



Amount of air that can be taken into the lungs on a forced inspiration: 

 no cubic inches. 



Amount of reserve air in the lungs after an ordinary expiration: no cubic 

 inches. 



Amount of residual air always remaining in the lungs: About 100 cubic 

 inches. 



Vital capacity of the lungs: About 250 cubic inches. 



Entire volume of air passing in and out of the lungs in twenty-four hours: 

 About 400 cubic feet. 



Composition of air: Nitrogen, 79.19; oxygen, 20.81, in 100 parts. 



Amount of oxygen absorbed in twenty-four hours: 18 cubic feet. 



Amount of carbonic acid exhaled in twenty-four hours: 14 cubic feet. 



Temperature of the human body at the surface: 98.6 Fahrenheit. 



Amount of urine excreted daily: From 40 to 50 ounces. 



Amount of urea excreted daily: 512 grains. 



Specific gravity of urine: From 1.015 to 1.025. 



Number of spinal nerves: 3 1 pairs. 



Number of roots of origin: Two first, anterior, efferent; second, pos- 

 terior, afferent. 



Rate of transmission of nerve force: About 100 feet a second. 



Number of cranial nerves: Twelve pairs. 



Nerves of special sense: i. Olfactory, or first pair. 2. Optic, or second 

 pair. 3. Auditory, or eighth pair. 4. Chorda tympani for anterior 

 two-thirds of tongue. 5. Branches of glossopharyngeal, or eighth 

 pair, for posterior one-third of tongue. 



