440 



OF NUTRITION. 



Oily matter ...... 



Extractive matter soluble in water and aleohol 

 Albumen combined with soda 

 Chloride of sodium 



potassium 



Carbonates 



Phosphates I. of potash and soda 



Sulphates J 



Carbonates of lime and magnesia 



Phosphates of lime, magnesia, and 



Peroxide of iron 



Loss ..... 



iron L 



1-310 

 1-790 

 1-265 



8-370 



2-100 

 2-400 



2-270 

 1-920 

 2-010 



7-304 



1-414 



2-586 



100-000 100-000 



Hence it is seen that the proportion of the elements of Blood is subject to con- 

 siderable variation within the limits of ordinary Health ; we shall hereafter 

 find that, in Disease, these variations are far more decided, and that they have 

 a constant and evident connection with the morbid condition of the system. 

 The amount of solid matter in the Blood appears to be in general greater in 

 the Male than in the Female. The following table exhibits the general results 

 of the inquiries of Denis on this head: it represents the Maximum and Mini- 

 mum of each of the chief constituents of the Blood ; and it will be seen that, 

 whilst the Water predominates in the Female, the other elements (with a 

 slight exception in favour of the albumen) are in largest amount in the Male. 



The Specific Gravity of course varies with the amount of solid matter contained 

 in it ; in the Human subject, the average is probably about 1050. The esti- 

 mate formerly given ( 490) of the proportional amount of Blood in the body, 

 has recently been confirmed by a very ingenious experiment of Valentin's, in 

 which the calculation was based on Specific Gravity. A certain quantity of 

 blood was taken away from the jugular vein of an animal of known weight ; 

 and a known measure of blood-warm distilled water was slowly injected, by 

 the orifice of the vein, towards the heart. Some minutes afterwards, another 

 portion of the blood was withdrawn, and carefully weighed. The two quan- 

 tities were then evaporated in dry air, until the residue no longer lost weight ; 

 and the whole amount of the previously-contained mass of blood could then be 

 calculated, by a simple mathematical formula, from the degree of attenuation 

 in the fluid, produced by the injected water. This was found to be between 

 one-third and one-fourth, or about two-sevenths, of the whole weight of the 

 body. 



582. When the Blood is drawn from the body, and left to itself, its organic 

 elements speedily undergo a new arrangement. The Fibrin coagulates, and 



