478 PHYSIOLOGY OF THE DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 



Compounds similar to oxyhsemoglobin are formed between haemo- 

 globin and carbon monoxide and cyanogen. These two gases displace the 

 oxygen from oxyhaemoglobin, and form compounds which cannot again 

 be broken up with oxygen. These compounds, as well as those formed 

 with nitrous oxide and sulphuretted hydrogen, are more stable in nature 

 than the oxyhsemoglobin. 



Haemoglobin is chemically an even more complex body than albumen, 

 since the latter, together with haematin, are decomposition products of 

 haemoglobin. This decomposition especially occurs under the action of 

 acids, though it also takes place when solutions of haemoglobin are 

 exposed to a moderately warm temperature. Out of one hundred parts 

 haemoglobin, about four parts haematin and ninety-six parts albumen 

 may be separated. 



The inorganic constituents of the red blood-corpuscles differ very 

 essentially from those found in the blood-plasma. While the latter is 

 rich in chlorine and sodium, only traces are to be found in the blood- 

 corpuscles, where, however, potassium and phosphates are present in 

 large amounts, though they are almost entirely absent from the serum. 

 The fact that we have here such a marked separate distribution of soluble 

 salts, without any apparent tendency to their equal distribution, shows 

 that there must be some force present which interferes with the working 

 of the laws of diffusion and inhibition. 



The following table shows the contrast between the inorganic con- 

 stituents of the corpuscles and blood-plasma (Schmidt) : 



1000 parts of Moist Corpuscles yield 1000 parts of Plasma yield- 



Mineral matters (exclusive Mineral matters, . . 8.550 



of iron), 

 Chlorine, 



Sulphuric anhydride, 

 PHOSPHORUS PENTOXIDE, 

 POTASSIUM, . 

 Sodium, 



Calcium phosphate, 

 Magnesium, . 



8.120 CHLORINE, 



1.686 Sulphuric anhydride, 



0.066 Phosphorus pentoxide, 



1.134 Potassium, 



3.328 SODIUM. . 



1.052 Calcium phosphate, . 



114 Magnesium phosphate, 

 0.073 



3.640 



0.115 

 0.119 

 0.323 

 3.341 

 0.311 

 0.222 



Too much importance must not, however, be laid upon this peculiar 

 distribution of the inorganic constituents of the red blood-corpuscles 

 and plasma, as given above for human blood, since it does not by tiny 

 means hold in the case of other animals, for in most animals the sodium 

 salts in the corpuscles actually preponderate over the potassium salts. 

 The following table illustrates this : 



BLOOD-OKLL.S. LIQUOK SANGUINIS. 



K. 



Man, 

 Dog, 

 Cat, . 

 Sheep, 

 Goat, 



