COMPOSITION OF THE BLOOD-PLASMA. 19 



Analysis of the Blood. 



In the analyses given in the older works on physiology, the blood, having been divided 

 into plasma and corpuscles, was supposed to contain, in the plasma, two organic princi- 

 ples, called albumen and fibrin. Kecent investigations, however, have shown that the 

 organic constituents of the plasma are more complex; and the more modern an.-ilvsi-s of 

 the blood give other organic principles, which have been separated by new methods. 

 As these have been very generally accepted by modern writers, it becomes necessary to 

 describe them in detail, and we shall adopt the new nomenclature, as far as the different 

 organic principles have been established by definite observations. An argument in favor 

 of this subdivision of the matters formerly recognized as fibrin and albumen is the fact, 

 which has long been apparent, that the organic constituents of the blood, particularly 

 albumen, are known to possess certain peculiar properties which distinguish them from 

 these principles as they are found elsewhere. The following table, which we have care- 

 fully compiled from recent authorities, particularly Robin, gives approximatively the quan- 

 tities of the different constituents of the blood-plasma. These may be divided into the 

 following classes: 1. Inorganic principles; 2. Organic saline principles; 3. Organic non- 

 nitrogenized principles ; 4. Excrementitious matters ; 5. Organic nitrogenized principles. 



Composition of the Blood-Plasma. 

 Specific gravity, 1028. 



Water, 779 parts per 1,000 in the male ; 791 parts per 1,000 in the female. 

 Chloride of sodium, 3 to 4 parts per 1,000. 

 " " potassium, 0'359 parts per 1,000. 



" ammonium, proportion not determined. 

 Sulphate of potassa, 0'288 parts per 1,000. 



" " soda, proportion not determined. 

 Carbonate of potassa, " " " 



" soda (with bicarbonate of soda), 1-200 parts per 1,000. 

 " lime, proportion not determined. 

 " magnesia, " " 



Phosphate of lime of the bones, and neutral phosphate, 

 " magnesia, 



" potassa, J. 1-500 parts per 1,000. 



" iron (probable), 



Basic phosphates and neutral phosphate of soda, 

 Silica, copper, lead, and magnesia, traces occasionally. 

 Lactate of soda, proportion not determined. 



" " lime (probable), proportion not determined. 

 Pneumate of soda, " " " 



