122 MINERAL CONSTITUENTS OF BLOOD CORPUSCLES. [BOOK I. 



1000 parts of plasma yield : 



Mineral matters 

 CHLORINE . 

 Sulphuric anhydride . 

 Phosphorus pentoxide 

 Potassium . 

 SODIUM . 

 Calcium Phosphate 

 Magnesium Phosphate 



8-550 



3'640 



0-115 

 0-191 

 0-323 



3-341 



0-311 

 0-222 



1000 parts of moist corpuscles yield : 

 Mineral matters (exclusive 



of Iron) . . . 8-120 

 Chlorine .... 1-686 

 Sulphuric anhydride . . 0'066 

 PHOSPHORUS PENTOXIDE 1134 

 POTASSIUM . . . 3'328 

 Sodium .... 1-052 

 Calcium Phosphate . . 0*114 

 Magnesium . . . . 0'073 



One would be inclined to attribute too great an importance to the 

 remarkable difference in the distribution of potassium and sodium in 

 the blood corpuscles of man if one were in ignorance of the undoubted 

 fact that this difference does not hold in the case of most animals. 



Thus if we glance at the subjoined tabular view which contains 

 the results of the analyses of Schmidt of the inorganic matters yielded 

 by the blood cells and plasma of several animals, we come to the 

 conclusion that the proportions of sodium and potassium in the 

 corpuscles may vary within wide limits, and that in most animals the 

 salts of sodium preponderate greatly over those of potassium. 



TABLE SHEWING THE AMOUNT OF POTASSIUM, SODIUM AND CHLOKINE 

 PEE SENT IN 100 PARTS OF THE INORGANIC MATTERS OF BLOOD 

 CELLS AND PLASMA 1 . 



The much more recent researches of Bunge 2 , whilst they differ in 

 some respects materially from those of C. Schmidt, indicate that in 

 some animals potassium and in others sodium preponderates. Thus 

 Bunge found no sodium (!) in the blood corpuscles of the dog and of 

 the cat, whilst he found nearly three times as much sodium as 

 potassium in the blood of the ox. These differences perhaps will be 

 explained, as some have surmised, by further researches proving that 

 when considerable quantities of potassium salts are ingested, they 

 replace sodium in the corpuscles, though probably before being able to do 

 so the richness of the blood in potassium must attain a certain figure. 



1 Lehmann, Physiological Chemistry, Vol. n. p. 189. This table, which the 

 Author has modified somewhat in form, is compiled from the observations of C. Schmidt. 



2 Bunge, " Zur quantitativen Analyse des Blutes." Zeitschr. f. BioL, Vol. xn. 

 p. 191216. 



