The Blood. 25 



The reaction of the Mood is alkaline; this alkalinity 

 diminishes in blood drawn from the body until the process 

 of coagulation occurs. The alkaline reaction is due to the 

 phosphate and bicarbonate of soda found in the fluid 

 (Maly) ; the decreasing alkalinity observed on standing is 

 probably due to the formation of an acid. The alkalinity 

 of the blood is reduced by muscular work. 



The odour of blood depends upon the animal it is 

 obtained from. The blood of the cat and dog has a most 

 disagreeable smell. This is not observed in the horse and 

 ox, though, according to some observers, the odour ol 

 butyric acid can always be obtained by heating the blood 

 with sulphuric acid. The taste of blood is saltish. The 

 specific gravity varies in different animals ; in the ox and 

 pig, 1060; sheep, 1050-1058; dog, 1050 (Colin); horse, 

 1060 ; according to Hoppe-Seyler the specific gravity 

 of the liquor sanguinis of the horse is 1027 to 1028, and 

 the specific gravity of the cells 1105. The remarkable 

 difference between the specific gravity of the cells and 

 the liquor sanguinis in the horse accounts for the rapid 

 manner in which the latter sink in blood drawn from the 

 body, producing the so-called ' buffy coat.' 



The chemical composition of the blood of animals will, as 

 might be expected, possess almost absolute uniformity so 

 far as the presence of various substances is concerned : the 

 amount of these substances, however, both organic and 

 inorganic, varies not only in animals of different classes, 

 but in those of the same class ; the composition of blood 

 from an artery does not represent exactly that found in a 

 vein. We will here content ourselves by enumerating the 

 principal substances found in the blood, leaving the 

 quantities of these to form a separate table at the end of 

 the chapter. 



Blood rout liny : 

 Liquor sanguinis or Plasma. 

 Red Corpuscles. 

 White Corpuscles. 

 Extractives. 

 Mineral matter. 



