338 THE BLOOD. 



and according to HERMANN and NAUMANN 1 an increase in the cholesterin 

 ester and the neutral fats occurs in the blood during pregnancy. 



The Blood at Different Periods of Life. Fetal and infant blood is 

 richer in erythrocytes and haemoglobin than the blood of the mother. 

 In animals this is true at least for the haemoglobin while the number 

 of erythrocytes in growing or adult animals may be greater than in new- 

 born animals. The highest percentage of haemoglobin in the blood has 

 been observed by several investigators, such as COHNSTEIN and ZUNTZ, 

 OTTO, WINTERNITZ, ABDERHALDEN, SCHWINGE, and others, immediately 

 or very soon after birth or at least within the first few days. In man 

 two or three days after birth the haemoglobin reaches a maximum (200- 

 210 p. m.) which is greater than at any other period of life. This is the 

 cause of the great abundance of solids in the blood of new-born infants, 

 as observed by several investigators. The quantity of haemoglobin and 

 blood-corpuscles sinks gradually from this first maximum to a minimum 

 of about 110 p. m. haemoglobin, which minimum appears in human beings 

 between the fourth and eighth years. The quantity of haemoglobin then 

 increases again until about the twentieth year, when a second maximum 

 of 137-150 p. m. is reached. The haemoglobin remains at this point 

 only to about the forty-fifth year, and then gradually and slowly 

 decreases (LEICHTENSTERN, OTTO 2 ). According to earlier reports, the 

 blood at old age is poorer in blood-corpuscles and protein bodies, but 

 richer in water and salts. 



The Influence of Food on the Blood. In complete starvation no 

 decrease in the amount of solid blood-constituents is found to take place 

 (PANUM and others). The amount of haemoglobin is increased a little, 

 at least in the early period (SUBBOTIN, OTTO, HERMANN and GROLL, 

 LUCIANI and BUFALINI), and also the number of red blood-corpuscles 

 increases (WORM MULLER, BUNTZEN S ), which probably depends partly 

 on the fact that the blood-corpuscles are not so quickly transformed as 

 the serum and partly on a greater concentration due to loss of water. 



1 Nasse, Maly's Jahresber., 7; Becquerel and Rodier, Traite de chim. pathol., 

 Paris, 1854; Cohnstein, Pfliiger' Arch., 34, 233; Mollenberg, Maly's Jahresber., 31, 

 185. See also Payer, Arch. f. Gynak., 71; Herrmann and Naumann, Bioch. Zeitschr., 

 43. 



2 Cohnstein and Zuntz, Pfliiger's Arch., 34; Winternitz, Zeitschr. f. physiol. Chem., 

 22; Leichtenstern, Untersuch. iiber. den Hamoglobingehalt des Blutes, etc., Leipzig, 

 1878; Otto, Maly's Jahresber., 15 and 17; Abderhalden, Zeitschr. f. physiol. Chem., 

 34; Schwinge, Pfliiger's Arch., 73 (literature). See also Fehrsen, Journ. of Physiol., 

 3<K 



3 Panum, Virchow's Arch., 29; Subbotin, Zeitschr. f. Biologic, 7; Otto. 1. c., 

 Worm Miiller, Transfusion und Plethora, Christiania, 1875; Buntzen, see Maly's 

 Jahresber., 9; Hermann and Groll, Pfliiger's Arch., 43; Luciani and Bufalini, Maly's 

 Jahresber., 12. 



