74 ABSORPTION OF GASES BY SOLID BODIES AND FLUIDS. 



with six times its volume of alcohol, then boiled and expressed the product. The 

 extract, which is evaporated, contains all of the sugar. 



Kreatin, urea during hunger 0.035 per cent., in the stage of maxi- 

 mum formation 0.153 per cent. ; at times succinic acid, hippuric acid, and 

 uric acid (i : 6000 in gouty individuals); guanin (? carbamic acid); in 

 the blood after death also sarcolactic acid. All of these are present in 

 exceedingly small amount. 



Inorganic matters 0.85 per cent.; principally sodium-combina- 

 tions. The amount of salts is increased by a meat-diet, while it is dimin- 

 ished by a vegetable diet. Ammonium is present in the proportion of 

 i mg. to 100 cu. cm., and three or four times as abundantly in the blood 

 of the portal vein. 



Human blood-serum contains the following salts : 



Sodium chlorid, 4.92 in 1000. 



Sodium sulphate, 0.44 



Sodium carbonate, 0.21 " 



Sodium phosphate, o^S " 



Calcium phosphate, 1 , ( 



Magnesium phosphate, / -73 



The alkaline reaction of. the serum depends principally upon the sodium car- 

 bonate present. It is only half that of the blood. 



The serum of blood containing carbon dioxid in large amount exhibits a more 

 pronounced alkaline reaction and the amount of chlorin contained is diminished. 

 This is dependent upon the fact that hydrochloric acid and water enter the blood- 

 corpuscles, while the alkali remains behind. 



If salts in considerable amount are introduced into the blood, the larger amount 

 disappears in the course of a few minutes, diffusing principally into the tissues. 

 Gradually they are eliminated from the body through the kidneys. The same 

 statement is applicable to sugar and peptone. 



Water about 90 per cent. 

 Yellowish pigments. 



One pigment can be separated by agitation with methyl-alcohol. It exhibits 

 two absorption-bands of lipochrome, like lutein. Hydrobilirubin was found by 

 Maly, and choletelin by MacMunn. 



Blood, and also blood-serum free from cells, as well as lymph, possess bacter- 

 icidal properties, which are augmented by increase in the alkalinity, but, on the 

 other hand, disappear on addition of water, on heating to a temperature of 55 C., 

 on exposure to diffuse daylight, and likewise if mineral matters are removed by 

 dialysis. Egg-albumin and fresh milk exhibit the same properties. The corpuscle- 

 destroying globulicidal action of fresh serum is peculiar to the latter, in con- 

 junction with its bactericidal effect after bacterial invasion. Both properties 

 are due to certain proteid bodies known as alexins. The serum of an individual 

 rendered immure by inoculation to any infectious disease exerts an antitoxic 

 effect against the poison of the corresponding infectious agent, and it can there- 

 fore be employed against the latter for curative purposes. 



Large numbers of microbes may gain entrance into the blood-stream during 

 the death-agony. 



The serum of individuals suffering from typhoid fever contains a substance 

 of diagnostic importance, designated agglutinin, which causes agglutination of 

 typhoid bacilli in cultures. 



THE GASES OF THE BLOOD. 



ABSORPTION OF GASES BY SOLID BODIES AND BY FLUIDS. 



Between the particles of solid, porous bodies and gaseous substances there 

 exists a marked attraction of such a character that the gases are attracted by the 

 solid bodies and condensed within their pores; that is, the gases are absorbed by 

 the solid bodies. Thus, for instance, one volume of boxwood charcoal, at a tern- 



