THE BLOOD. 167 



Hence the bright color of the fatty blood of drunkards ; and the 

 blood in leucaemia is also bright red, since the cytoid corpuscles, 

 in which it abounds, strongly reflect the light. 



Thirdly, it must be admitted that chemical combinations with the 

 blood-pigment, especially of oxygen and carbonic acid, affect the 

 color of the blood ; the former rendering it lighter, and the latter 

 darker colored. Indeed, all the salts which at first contract the 

 blood-cells, and render the blood lighter colored, entirely dissolve 

 them when in a more concentrated solution, and then give to the 

 blood a deep dark-red hue. 



The proportional amount of the moist corpuscles has already 

 been generally stated at 510 to 520 in 1,000; the extremes in adults 

 being 472 and 542, and the average 512. The blood of women, how- 

 ever, especially in pregnancy, contains a smaller proportion of them, 

 which is also diminished by repeated losses of blood and other 

 fluids. Of the lower animals, the blood of swine contains the 

 greatest amount of corpuscles ; that of the amphibia comparatively 

 few of them. 



The enumeration of the blood-cells has been recently attempted 

 by Yierordt and Welcker, and it is found that from 42,700,000 to 

 45,500,000 corpuscles exist in a single cubic line of healthy human 

 blood! (Lehmann.) Assuming the whole amount of blood to be 

 20 pounds, their whole number is about 65 billions and 570,000 

 millions. They are more numerous in venous blood. (Kblliker.) 



In former analyses, the blood-corpuscles were previously dried, 

 and were then found to constitute about 140 parts out of 1,000 of 

 blood. The following is the analysis of Becqnerel and Eodier, 

 showing the elements in the liquor sanguinis and corpuscles, taken 

 together ; the mean being given for both men and women : 



Man. Woman. 



Water , 779.0 ) 791.1 ) 



.0) 

 .0) 



Solid constituents . . \ 221.0) 208.9) 



Fibrine .... . .,, 2.2 2.2 



Corpuscles . . . . 141.1 127.2 



Albumen 1 ,,..- . . .;-, 69.4 70.5 



Fat 2 .... . , V 1.6 1.6 



Extractive and salts of serum . 6.8 7.4 



1 This is too high an estimate for the albumen. (See note, page 153.) 



! The amount of fat in the blood is not sensibly affected by its amount in the food. 



