CONSTITUENTS OF THE BLOOD-CORPUSCLES. 183 



regarding the chemico-physiological importance of the blood- 

 cells. 



Berzelius* had already found that the corpuscles were the cause 

 of the blood's redness, and were not dissolved by salts having an 

 alkaline basis, or by sugar, and that we had in this way a means of 

 separating in some measure the blood-corpuscles from the inter- 

 cellular fluid. Figuiert was the first who employed this means to 

 obtain a quantitative determination of the blood-corpuscles, 

 regarding which we shall speak more fully presently. Since, how- 

 ever, in attempting to separate the blood-corpuscles in this way (a 

 solution of sulphate of soda is what is commonly used for the 

 purpose) from the constituents of the intercellular fluid, it very 

 soon becomes apparent that these particles, on the one hand, 

 become agglutinated to, and stop up the filter, and on the other, 

 that they become so changed that they pass through it. DumasJ 

 recommended that oxygen should be continuously passed into the 

 fluid lying in the filter, while, at the same time, a solution of 

 Glauber's salts should be constantly allowed to drip into it. The 

 blood-corpuscles obtained in this manner, and containing Glauber's 

 salts, are dried, extracted with ether and boiling alcohol, and 

 finally freed by boiling water from the sulphate of soda and other 

 soluble constituents. By submitting to ultimate analysis this 

 residue of the blood-cells freed from serum, Dumas found that 

 both in men, dogs, and rabbits, after deducting for the ash, there 

 was the constant ratio of from 55*1 to 55'4 of carbon, 7'l{f of 

 hydrogen, from 17*2 to 17'5-g- of nitrogen, and consequently from 

 20-2 to 20'6~ of oxygen. 



C. Schmidt exhibited in a similar manner the coagulable and 

 insoluble parts of the blood-cells, and found their specific gravity 

 before the abstraction of their iron to be 2*2507 ; but after the 

 abstraction of the ash and iron only 1*2090. The same author 

 found that 100 parts of this dry cell-residue contained on an 

 average 87*59 parts of globulin and 12*41 of hsematin. The 

 residue, containing ash, yielded 1*179^ of peroxide of iron and 

 0*126 of earthy phosphates. 



In reference to the cell-wall of the red corpuscles, most French 

 chemists, even to the most recent time, have held that this mem- 

 brane was fibrin, in accordance with the old view regarding the 



* Lehrb. d. Ch. Bd. 9, S. 74. (4te Aufl.) 



t Ann. de Chim. et de Phys. 3me Ser. T. 11, p. 503, 



t Ibid. T. 17, p. 542. 



Ann. d. Ch, u. Pharm. Bd. 61, S. 156-167. 



