ITS PHYSICAL, CHEMICAL, AND STRUCTURAL CHARACTERS. 175 



life, the blood is remarkably rich in solid contents ; it being in the proportion 

 of corpuscles (including iron) that the chief difference exists between foetal and 

 maternal blood. This appears from the following comparative analyses made 

 by Denis 1 of the venous blood of the mother, and of the blood of the umbilical 

 artery, which last has been recently found by Poggiale (as might be expected) 

 to be identical with the blood of the foetus. 



Water . 



Solid constituents 



Fibrin . 

 Corpuscles 

 Albumen 

 Phosphorized Fat 

 Peroxide of Iron 

 Extractive "--??:' 

 Salts 



Venous Blood of Mother. 

 . 781.0 

 . 219.0 



139.9 



50.0 



9.2 



0.3 



4.2 



12.5 



Blood of Umbilical Artery. 

 701.5 

 298.5 



2.2 



222.0 



50.0 



7.5 



2.0 



2.7 

 12.1 



The analyses of Poggiale 2 give 255.8 parts of solid matter, of which 172.2 parts 

 were corpuscles, and 2 parts of peroxide of iron, in 1000 parts of foetal blood ; 

 thus agreeing with those of Denis in the main fact of the excessive proportion 

 of corpuscles and iron. The proportion of corpuscles seems to remain high for 

 a short time after birth ; but it gradually diminishes ; and the whole amount of 

 solid matter in the blood seems to fall to its lowest point during the period of 

 childhood. Towards the epoch of puberty, however, the amount of solid matter 

 increases again, the chief augmentation being in the corpuscles; and it remains 

 at a high standard during the most vigorous period of adult life, after which it 

 begins to decline. This is made apparent in the following table deduced from 

 the analyses of Denis; which are confirmed by those of Lecanu and Simon. 3 



In 5 individuals between 5 months and 10 years 



13 



11 



12 







ft 



2 



10 years and 



20 



30 



40 



50 



60 



20 

 30 

 40 

 50 

 60 

 70 



Solid Constituents. 



170 

 200 

 240 

 240 

 240 

 220 

 210 



159. An appreciable difference exists between the blood of the two sexes; 

 that of the male being richer in solid contents, and especially in corpuscles, 

 than that of the female. On this point, the analyses of Lecanu, Denis, and 

 Becquerel and Rodier are in accordance, notwithstanding their mutual discre- 

 pancies; as the following tables show: 



Lecanu. 



Max. Min. 



791.9 805.2 778.6 



208.1 221.4 194.8 



1 " Recherche s Experimentales surle Sanghumain," and " Simon's Animal Chemistry," 

 p. 197, Am. Ed. 



2 "Comptes Rendus," torn. xxv. p. 198. 3 "Animal Chemistry," p. 198, Am. Ed. 



