80 HANDBOOK OF PHYSIOLOGY. 



(3.) Chemical Composition of the Corpuscles. a. Colored. 

 Analysis of a thousand parts of moist blood-corpuscles shows the follow- 

 ing result: 



Water, 688 



Solids 



j Organic, 303.88 



(Mineral,. .'.... 8.12312=1000. 



Of the solids the most important is Hcemoglobin, the substance to 

 which the blood owes its color. It constitutes, as will be seen from the 

 appended Table, more than 90 per cent of the organic matter of the 

 corpuscles. Besides haemoglobin there are proteid : and fatty matters, 

 the former chiefly consisting of globulins, and the latter of cholesterin 

 and lecithin. 



In 1000 parts organic matter are found : 



Haemoglobin, ...... 905.4 



Proteids, . . . . . . .86.7 



Fats, 7-9=1000 



Of the inorganic salts of the corpuscles, with the iron omitted 

 In 1000 parts corpuscles (Schmidt) are found : 



Potassium Chloride, 3.679 



Potassium Phosphate, . . . . 2.343 



Potassium sulphate, 132 



Sodium, 633 



Calcium, . 094 



Magnesium, . .060 



Soda, 341 = 7.282 



The properties of haemoglobin will be considered in relation to the 

 Gases of the blood (p. 83). 



b. Colorless. The corpuscles may be said also to contain flbrinogen, 

 paraglobulin, and the ferment. In consequence of the difficulty of ob- 

 taining colorless corpuscles in sufficient number to make an analysis, 

 little is accurately known of their chemical composition; in all proba- 

 bility, however, the stroma of the corpuscles is made up of proteid mat- 

 ter, and the nucleus of nuclein, a nitrogenous, phosphorus-containing 

 body akin to mucin, capable of resisting the action of the gastric juice. 

 The proteid matter, chiefly globulins, soluble in a ten per cent solution 

 of sodium chloride, the solution being precipitated on the addition of 

 water, by heat and by the mineral acids. The stroma contains fatty 

 granules, and in it also the presence of glycogen has been demonstrated. 

 The salts of the corpuscles are chiefly potassium, and of these the phos- 

 phate is in greatest amount. 



1 An account of the proteid bodies, etc., will be found in the Appendix, and should 

 be referred to for explanation of the terms employed in the text. 



