THE BLOOD-CORPUSCLES. 177 



experiments, that we are by no means justified in drawing any con- 

 clusions regarding the action of these substances in the circulating 

 blood of the living body, from their action on fresh blood out of 

 the organism. For a long time he gave to dogs and goats, food 

 containing soda or nitre, but he either observed no action on the 

 coagulation of the blood, or one precisely the reverse of that which 

 he expected. I have made experiments of a similar nature with in- 

 jections of solutions of nitrate and bicarbonate of potash ; a solution 

 of 30 grammes of nitrate of potash in 200 grammes of water at 

 about 38, was very slowly injected into the jugular vein of a 

 somewhat overworked horse, which lost little blood by the ope- 

 ration. The operation of venesection was performed a quarter of 

 an hour after the completion of the injection. The blood was 

 rather darker than that which was discharged before the injection, 

 and coagulated more rapidly, but formed a less dense clot and 

 a smaller crust. In a similar manner I injected 30 grammes of 

 bicarbonate of potash dissolved in 180 grammes of tepid water, into 

 the jugular vein of an old but still somewhat powerful horse 

 seventeen minutes after the completion of the injection, blood was 

 taken from the jugular vein of the opposite side ; this blood was 

 much darker than that which escaped before the injection ; the 

 blood-corpuscles sank much more slowly, the crust was less thick, 

 and the clot easily broken down; In the latter case the change 

 which the blood underwent from the decomposition of the bicar- 

 bonate of potash may be easily explained : in the circulating blood, 

 all the conditions are present which give rise to a decomposition 

 of this salt into carbonic acid and simple carbonate of potash, 

 namely, a high temperature, and the action of free gases ; and the 

 fluid has hence assumed the character of a blood rich in carbonic 

 acid : the dark colour corresponds with the accumulation of car- 

 bonic acid in the blood ; the neutral alkaline carbonate, rapidly as 

 it is separated by the kidneys, had, however, here delayed the 

 sinking of the corpuscles. The action of the free carbonic acid 

 was also shown in the excited and, as it were, intoxicated state 

 in which the animal remained even an hour after the injection. 

 This condition was precisely' similar to that which I have repeat- 

 edly observed in horses, after allowing them to breathe a mixture 

 of 10^ of carbonic acid and 90% of atmospheric air for from 3 to 8 

 minutes ; the pulse increased from 36 and 40 strokes in the minute 

 to 50 and even 54 ; the eyes of the animal were glistening but 

 steady, its gait was firm, there was rumbling in the intestines, and 

 there were eructations and a great flow of saliva. 



VOL. II. N 



