viii PREFACE 



My debt would not be discharged without one more reference. 

 The expense of much of the later phases of the work done on haemo- 

 globin in this country has been borne by the Medical Research 

 Council — a department of the Privy Council. How that body came 

 to act "in loco parentis" is worth placing on record. Readers of the 

 book will find that the late Sir WilUam Bayhss was sceptical about 

 the interpretation of much that had been written on haemoglobin; 

 on the initiative of Prof. A. V. Hill an invitation was sent to 

 him to come to Cambridge and sift the points at issue so far as that 

 could be done by discussion. Many points seemed capable of experi- 

 mental proof or disproof and BayUss conceived the idea of interesting 

 the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in haemo- 

 globin. The subject fell rather within the sphere of the Medical 

 Research Council who took the matter up and have assisted haemo- 

 globin research both with funds, sympathy and advice ever since. In 

 thanking the Committee I feel that I must also thank the secretary, 



Sir Walter Morley Fletcher. 



J.B. 



Cambridge, 

 3 April, 1928. 



