BLOOD. 107 



A. TJie general chemical relations of the blood. 



The general chemical relations of the blood-corpuscles. 



Miiller and Schultz have examined the action of various 

 tests on the blood-corpuscles. Hunefeld' has also recently 

 paid much attention to the apparent effect produced on them 

 by numerous medicinal agents. According to the last-named 

 author, the corpuscles and their nuclei are soluble in the fol- 

 lowing substances : caustic ammonia, potash, soda, lime, and 

 baryta, soap, bile, acetic acid, hydrocyanic acid, alcohol, ether, 

 oil of turpentine, ethereal oil, and sulphui'et of carbon. 



The capsules, but not the nuclei, are soluble in water, in all the 

 salts of ammonia, the carbonates of potash and soda, cyanate 

 of potash, borax, chloride of barium, chloride of calcium, the 

 salts of oxalic and hydrochloric acids, concentrated vinegar, and 

 the phosphoric, arsenic, oxalic, citric, and hydrochloric acids. 



Phosphorus, chlorine, and iodine produce a similar effect, 

 probably by the formation of an acid. 



An imperfect solution is effected by flowers of sulphur, tartrate 

 of ammonia, borate of ammonia, bromide of potassium, and 

 malic acid. 



The corpuscles are not dissolved by carbonate of magnesia, ve- 

 ratrine, strychnine, acetate of morphine, hydrochlorateof coneine, 

 boracic acid, carbonic acid, nitrate of potash, nitrate of soda, 

 tartrate of soda, phosphate of soda, chloride of sodium, sugar, 

 gum, sulphate of potash, sulphate of magnesia, sidphate of soda, 

 tartar emetic, camphor, anemonine. 



Hunefeld also tried the effects of several of the animal fluids 

 on the blood. Saliva, phthisical sputa, and healthy pus pro- 

 duced no well-marked changes. Gastric juice, added to an 

 excess of blood, induced a slight coagulation, and changed the 

 red colour into a brown. The extractive matter of the flesh of 

 rabbits and calves produced no change on the coi*puscles, but 

 the colour assumed a more vermilion tint, and the corpuscles 

 sank sooner than usual. Acid whey, concentrated by evapo- 

 ration, produced no effect, neither did the pancreatic juice or 

 gonorrhceal discharge. Sweat, taken from the axilla, changed 

 the colour to a lighter red, and, in the course of some hours, 



' Der Chemismus, u. s. w., p. 43-84. 



