148 THE BLOOD. 
proteids in the serum, and of proteids and haemoglobin in the subsided 
corpuscles, and in the whole blood respectively ; and, calculating from 
the results obtained, the amount of plasma and of corpuscles respectively 
in 100 grins. 1 An earlier method consisted in determining the amount 
of fibrin in a given quantity of the whole blood, and of the plasma 
respectively, and from this calculating the percentage amount of plasma 
in the sample of blood. 2 Bunge determined the proportions in a similar 
manner by estimating the sodium in a sample of blood, and also in 
plasma of the same blood. This method is only applicable to certain 
animals (horse, pig) which have no sodium in their blood corpuscles. 
The following example of the application of these methods is given by 
Bunge : 3 — 
(A) By Hoppe-Seyler's method : — 
In 100 grms. of defibrinated pig's blood were found — 
la) 18-92 I 1Q nn . ., , , , . 
(h\ 1S-SS ( mean : 1 8*90 grms. proteids + haemoglobin. 
In the blood corpuscles of 100 grms. of the same blood— 
(a) 15-04) 
(6) 15'13>- mean : 15-07 grms. proteids + haemoglobin. 
(c) 15-05) 
In the serum of 100 grms. of blood were — 
18-90-15-07 = 3-83 grms. proteids. 
In 100 grms. of serum — 
(a) 6-74 '( r nn , ., 
),( fi-"q i mean : " << proteids. 
From this the amount of serum in 100 grms. of the defibrinated blood 
may be computed — 
6-77 : 3-83 : : 100 : 56-5. 
Therefore 100 grms. blood contained 56-5 parts serum and 43-5 corpuscles. 
(B) By estimation of sodium — 
In 100 grms. of the whole blood of the same pig was found — 
(a) 0-2403 ) AO , Ar M n 
lb) 0-2409 f mean: 0-2406 grms. isa.p. 
In 100 grms. of serum — 
(a) 0-4283 I n .„„ M n 
(6) 0-4260 J mean : °" 42 ' 2 grms ' i 
0-4272 : 0-2406 : : 100 : 56-3. 
Therefore, by this method, 100 grms. blood contained 56-3 parts serum 
and 43-7 corpuscles — a result which agrees closely with that obtained by Hoppe- 
Seyler's method. 
Similarly, in horse's blood, Bunge found by Hoppe-Seyler's method 46-5 per 
cent, serum, and 53-5 corpuscles, and by the sodium method 46-9 serum and 
53 "1 corpuscles. 
A rapid approximate determination may be made by Blix's method 
(hematocrit). 4 The blood is mixed with a definite amount of 2 J 
per cent, potassium bichromate, and centrifugalised. The corpuscles 
rapidly accumulate at the bottom in an almost solid mass, and their 
1 " Handb. d. plivsiol. cliem. Analyse," Aufl. 2, Berlin, 1865. 
2 Hoppe, Vtrchow's Archiv, 1S57, Bd.'xii. S. 483. 
3 "Physiol, and Pathol. Chemistry," trans, by Wooldridge, 1890, pp. 243, 244. 
4 Hedin, Skamdin. Arch. f. Physiol., Leipzig, 1S90, Bd. ii. S. 134. Gaertner, Bed. med. 
Wchnschr., 1892, No. 36, p. 890." 
