50 THE NATURE AND TREATMENT OP 



ists in its veins a notable quantity of aeriform fluid. And with- 

 out a question, pulmonary absorption, in other animals, intro- 

 duces gases into the venous system ; and chemistry has taught 

 us, that the blood flowing through this system is most greedy 

 of it. Magnus, the Berlin chemist, has established, by his re- 

 searches, that the blood has the power of dissolving a certain 

 quantity of all gases in contact with it; but that, whenever 

 this liquid, already charged with gas, comes to absorb another, 

 it can only do so by giving out a certain portion of the one 

 first taken up ; so that, when venous blood is agitated with hy- 

 drogen, a portion of this gas is dissolved, and a corresponding 

 quantity of carbonic acid already existing in the liquid is dis- 

 engaged ; and when, instead of hydrogen, oxygen is made 

 use of, an analogous result is obtained. The venous blood ab- • 

 sorbs a certain quantity of gas, and liberates a quantity of 

 carbonic acid nearly equivalent thereto. 



" Persons engaged in dissection know fuH well that it is by 

 no means an uncommon thing to meet with gaseous globules in 

 the veins of animals slaughtered in a state of health. 



" We also know that the insufflation of air into the jugular 

 vein of a horse does not always produce ill consequences, much 

 less death. Under these circumstances, without doubt, the air 

 introduced becomes absorbed by the blood. 



" Is gas likewise present in arterial blood ? Chemists think 

 so, and M. Lassingen assures us positively of the fact. Ac- 

 cording to him, arterial blood, though in less quantit}'' than 

 venous blood, both contains acid gas and azote. 



" Brummer has proved the existence of gas in arteries by 

 the following experiment : After having produced a slow cir- 

 culation by means of foxglove on a dog, he seized the aorta 

 and by means of a couple of ligatures dammed up the blood 

 flowing through it, closing the farther ligature first, instantly 

 after the contraction of the ventricle. On opening after a little 

 while this imprisoned portion of trunk, he discovered an 

 aeriform fluid in it, of which we shall anon ascertain the com- 

 position. 



** We are told that every time we take a large quantity of 



