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  Mr. 
  W. 
  J. 
  Young 
  and 
  others. 
  Effect 
  of 
  

  

  who 
  failed 
  to 
  detect 
  any 
  alteration 
  in 
  the 
  percentage 
  of 
  haemoglobin 
  in 
  the 
  

   blood 
  after 
  a 
  net 
  loss 
  of 
  T07 
  kgrm. 
  in 
  body 
  weight. 
  

  

  Experiments 
  were 
  undertaken 
  to 
  ascertain 
  whether 
  the 
  estimation 
  of 
  the 
  

   specific 
  gravity 
  of 
  the 
  blood 
  might 
  yield 
  further 
  information 
  on 
  the 
  source 
  of 
  

   the 
  sweat. 
  Observations 
  on 
  the 
  specific 
  gravity 
  of 
  the 
  blood 
  were 
  carried 
  

   out 
  some 
  time 
  ago 
  in 
  this 
  Institute 
  by 
  Hammerschlag's 
  chloroform-benzene 
  

   method 
  and 
  yielded 
  figures 
  well 
  within 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  European 
  estimations. 
  

   The 
  same 
  method 
  was 
  employed 
  to 
  estimate 
  the 
  specific 
  gravity 
  of 
  the 
  blood 
  

   before 
  and 
  after 
  profuse 
  sweating, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  ascertain 
  whether 
  any 
  concen- 
  

   tration 
  could 
  be 
  detected 
  by 
  this 
  means. 
  Although 
  the 
  estimations 
  showed 
  

   a 
  very 
  slight 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  specific 
  gravity 
  of 
  the 
  blood 
  after 
  sweating 
  in 
  

   the 
  hot 
  room, 
  the 
  differences 
  were 
  within 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  experimental 
  error, 
  

   which 
  is 
  considerable. 
  Unless 
  a 
  mixture 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  specific 
  gravity 
  as 
  that 
  

   of 
  the 
  blood 
  were 
  hit 
  upon 
  immediately 
  it 
  was 
  difficult 
  to 
  obtain 
  a 
  constant 
  

   behaviour 
  of 
  a 
  drop 
  of 
  blood 
  ; 
  moreover 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  drop 
  had 
  an 
  undoubted 
  

   effect 
  upon 
  the 
  result. 
  For 
  the 
  above 
  reasons 
  this 
  method 
  was 
  abandoned, 
  

   and 
  in 
  the 
  later 
  experiments 
  the 
  total 
  solids 
  of 
  the 
  blood 
  before 
  and 
  after 
  the 
  

   sweating 
  and 
  the 
  refractive 
  index 
  of 
  the 
  blood 
  serum 
  were 
  estimated. 
  

  

  For 
  the 
  total 
  solids 
  a 
  few 
  drops 
  of 
  blood 
  oozing 
  out 
  freely 
  from 
  a 
  deep 
  

   puncture 
  wound 
  in 
  the 
  lobe 
  of 
  the 
  ear 
  were 
  collected 
  on 
  a 
  small 
  piece 
  

   of 
  thick 
  blotting 
  paper, 
  previously 
  dried 
  and 
  tared. 
  It 
  was 
  quickly 
  

   weighed 
  and 
  dried 
  to 
  constancy 
  at 
  110° 
  C. 
  The 
  amount 
  of 
  blood 
  collected 
  

   weighed 
  about 
  120 
  mgrm. 
  to 
  130 
  mgrm., 
  and 
  the 
  weighings 
  were 
  done 
  by 
  a 
  

   specially 
  constructed 
  micrometer 
  balance, 
  designed 
  and 
  made 
  by 
  Messrs. 
  

   Felton, 
  Grimwade 
  and 
  Company 
  of 
  Melbourne, 
  accurate 
  to 
  1 
  mgrm., 
  which 
  

   enabled 
  the 
  paper 
  to 
  be 
  weighed 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  seconds 
  ; 
  the 
  whole 
  determination 
  

   could 
  thus 
  be 
  completed 
  in 
  15 
  to 
  20 
  minutes. 
  All 
  estimations 
  were 
  done 
  in 
  

   duplicate. 
  

  

  The 
  method 
  was 
  not 
  found 
  altogether 
  reliable 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  possible 
  

   sources 
  of 
  error. 
  If 
  the 
  blood 
  did 
  not 
  flow 
  freely 
  from 
  the 
  puncture 
  wound 
  

   and 
  pressure 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  resorted 
  to, 
  the 
  estimations 
  of 
  the 
  blood 
  solids 
  gave 
  

   inconsistent 
  results. 
  In 
  addition, 
  there 
  was 
  always 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  a 
  

   small 
  amount 
  of 
  sweat 
  being 
  taken 
  up 
  simultaneously 
  with 
  the 
  blood 
  by 
  the 
  

   paper. 
  

  

  In 
  spite 
  of 
  these 
  possible 
  errors, 
  after 
  a 
  few 
  preliminary 
  experiments 
  

   duplicate 
  estimations 
  gave 
  fairly 
  consistent 
  results, 
  and 
  the 
  calculated 
  

   percentage 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  solids 
  in 
  the 
  blood 
  (about 
  20 
  per 
  cent.) 
  from 
  two 
  

   separate 
  estimations 
  did 
  not 
  differ 
  by 
  more 
  than 
  one. 
  

  

  The 
  total 
  solids 
  in 
  the 
  blood 
  showed 
  a 
  decided 
  tendency 
  towards 
  increase 
  

   after 
  perspiring 
  ; 
  out 
  of 
  11 
  experiments, 
  in 
  six 
  the 
  increase 
  was 
  larger 
  than 
  

  

  