56 



Composition oj the Blood Gases during the Respiration of Oxygen. 

 By George A. Buckmaster and J. A. Gardner. 



(Communicated by Dr. A. D. Waller, F.B.S. Eeceived January 9, — Eead 

 February 22, 1912.) 



(From the Physiological Laboratory, University of London, South Kensington.) 



The effect of breathing oxygen-rich gas mixtures on men and animals has 

 been frequently investigated. The papers which we have consulted deal 

 exclusively with methods in which the respiratory exchange was studied, 

 and the general results of the more recent experiments confirm the view that 

 there is little or no difference in metabolism, as indicated by the gaseous 

 exchange, whether ordinary air or gas mixtures rich in oxygen are respired.* 

 A contrary opinion has been formed by some observers, such as Bosenthalf 

 and Lukjanow4 We have been unable to find any paper later than the 

 work of P. Bert which deals with the composition of the blood gases during 

 oxygen inhalation. While engaged on a study of the nitrogen-content of 

 the blood we accumulated a mass of data on the comparative quantities of 

 carbon dioxide and oxygen in the blood of cats breathing air and high per- 

 centages of oxygen. These results we bring forward in this paper. 



The cats were anaesthetised with urethane. The process for obtaining the 

 samples of blood, the precautions to be taken in the evacuation of the gases 

 by the tapless form of blood pump, were those described at length in 

 a former paper ,§ in which the mode of administration of oxygen has also 

 been fully described. Bespiratory tracings were taken in every case, but we 

 do not consider it necessary to reproduce these. 



In many of the experiments, but unfortunately not in all, as these were 

 originally made with another object, determinations were made of the 

 haemoglobin content by the Gowers-Haldane haamoglobinometer. 



It has been stated by August Krogh that " the haemoglobin of different 

 animals does not necessarily possess the same relative affinity for oxygen and 

 carbonic oxide."|j If this is true, then the haemoglobin of the blood of 



* (1) Speck, 'Archiv f. d. gesammte Physiologic,' 1879, vol. 19, p. 171 ; (2) Loewy, 

 ' Ubersuchungen iiber die Eespiration und Circulation,' Berlin, 1895 ; (3) Arnold Durig, 

 'Archiv f. Physiologie,' 1903, Supp. Bd., p. 209; (4) Schaternikoff, 'Archiv f. 

 Physiologie,' 1904, Supp. Bd., p. 135 ; (5) F. G. Benedict and H. L. Higgins, 'American 

 Journal of Physiology,' 1911, vol. 38, p. 1. 



t Rosenthal, ' Archiv f. Physiologie,' 1902, Supp. Bd., p. 293. 



| Lukjanow, ' Zeits. f. physiol. Chemie,' 1884, Bd. 8, p. 324. 



§ "The Nitrogen Content of the Blood," ' Journ. Physiol.,' 1912, vol. 43, No. 6, p. 401. 

 ,|| 'Skand. Arch. Physiol.,' 1910, vol. 23, p. 220. 



