1894.] Injection of Sugar on the Gases of the Blood. 149 



into the jugular vein of a dog it causes an augmentation in the 

 quantity of lactic acid in the circulation, the quantity of the acid 

 steadily increasing until it reaches its maximum in about three hours 

 after the injection. It then gradually, hour by hour, decreases, until 

 in about six hours it returns to the normal amount. The question as 

 to the base with which the lactic acid combines to form a lactate is, 

 however, still unsettled. 



The results of Walter's* experiments, in conjunction with the 

 often-noticed fact that ammonia is increased in the urine of diabetes, 

 led me to imagine that the lactic acid combined with ammonia, until 

 I found that the breaking up of sugar in the organism has no influ- 

 ence whatsoever on the amount of ammonia in the blood, and conse- 

 quently it cannot be the base. 



It then appeared to me probable that the lactic acid had combined 

 with the bases of carbonates in the blood, having driven out the 

 carbonic acid from its compound. 



In order to try and settle this point, I estimated the quantity of 

 carbonic acid in the blood under different conditions. 



The series of experiments I am now about to record were performed 

 in the Physiological Institute at Leipzig, and I wish to express my 

 gratitude to Professor C. Ludwig for the kind assistance he gave me 

 in the matter. 



The experiments, which were made on dogs, were conducted in the 

 same manner as in my previous researches, above alluded to, except 

 that blood was withdrawn only three times from each dog. In order 

 to obtain a normal standard, the first specimen of blood was taken 

 before the sugar was injected, the second was withdrawn in an hour, 

 and the third in from three to five hours after the intra-venous 

 injection of the sugar. 



In order that the composition of the blood might be altered as little 

 as possible by the bleeding, only 30 c.c. of blood was collected each 

 time. 



In all cases the blood was collected under mercury from the carotid 

 artery. The gases were pumped from the blood by means of a 

 Ludwig mercurial pump, and analysed by Bunsen's method. 



The quantities of gases found were calculated at C. and 760 mm. 

 of mercury, and are expressed in volumes per cent. 



Before alluding to the changes found in the blood gases, I will briefly 

 give, in a tabular form, the results obtained from each experiment : 



* Walter, 'Arch. Exper. Path. u. Pharm.,' TO!. 7, p. 158, 1877. 



