96 



HEMOGLOBIN 



Yet this satisfactory result was not reached without a struggle. 

 The ease with which it can be demonstrated at the present time 

 offers a very pleasant contrast to the tiresomeness of the path trod 

 before the point of vantage now attained, had been reached. 



The history of the subject forms an interesting commentary upon 

 the psychology of research. The law of mass action was first quanti- 

 tatively applied to the reaction 



Hb + O2 5=?: HbOa 



by Hiifner(i), who quite unjustifiably assumed the applicability of 

 the law to the reaction in the form in which we have given it above 

 and obtained a curve very similar to the one which is represented 

 from entirely theoretical considerations. 



Fig. 25. Shows a series of rectangular hj^rbolae, each with ^ as its origin, 

 and approximating to OX. 



You can have any number of rectangular hyperbolae aU of which 

 pass through the point A and approximate to OX, such as are shown 

 in Fig. 25 : these all satisfy the condition stated above, 



The difference between them lies in the value of K. Now Hiifner 

 assumed the correctness of the equation and set out to find the value 

 of K. This can be done from one point. He used a number of samples 

 of haemoglobin prepared in different ways, determined a point for 

 each, found the value of K, averaged these values and produced a 

 curve. But a Nemesis awaited Hiifner. His speculations fejl in the 



