PUTREFACTION IN BLOOD. 53 



room must not merely be exposed to a rush of pure air, 

 so as to fill it, but it must be exposed to it long, in order 

 to ensure complete oxidation. THs would certainly lead 

 us to suppose that in the air there was only a small portion 

 of the oxygen which performed effectual duty — a sufficiently 

 curious point, especially in relation to Schonbein^s experi- 

 ments. The first evolution of gas from the putrid blood 

 is the most violent, as if the energy of life had scarcely 

 left it ; at least the force of that which held it together is 

 diminished, and the change is more striking at the first 

 moment of relaxing ; or perhaps some of the same influ- 

 ences which held the particles of albumen together show 

 their energy in breaking up the compound which a superior 

 direction no longer compels them to retain unimpaired. 



The first portions of the gas were measured with per- 

 manganate of potash only. The sulphuretted hydrogen 

 destroys that salt with great readiness. The gas was col- 

 lected over water, as the permanganate cannot be used 

 with mercury. The water which was displaced from the 

 tube into which the gas entered was treated also with per- 

 manganate. In each experiment lOO cub. centims. of gas 

 were passed into an inverted tube containing water. The 

 water destroyed the colour of a certain amount of perman- 

 ganate, and the gas partly washed destroyed a certain 

 amount in addition. 



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