526 Messrs. Buckmaster and Gardner. Supposed [Aug. 12, 



Experiment III. — 1'5 litres of a 2-per-cent. chloroform-air mixture were 

 driven by means of a current of purified oxygen through a Y-tube, one limb 

 of which was connected with a U-tube containing calcium chloride A, the other 

 with a U-tube containing roughly-powdered potash B. After passing- 

 through these tubes the gas was allowed to bubble slowly through two small 

 wash bottles, each containing 30 c.c. of a freshly prepared dilute solution of 

 human blood. The apparatus was so arranged that the gas passed through 

 the parallel U-tubes and thence through the wash bottles at the same rate. 

 At the end of the experiment it was found that the blood through which the 

 gas from tube A (calcium chloride) had passed contained no trace of carboxy- 

 haemoglobin, but that in connection with tube B (potash) was almost wholly 

 converted from oxyhemoglobin to carboxyhsemoglobin."] 



Effect of Blood Gases in Anaesthesia on Iodine Pentoxide. 



From a large number of experiments we give a few results in the following 

 table. In all cases there was a minimal amount of experimental interference 

 with the animal. The blood was always taken from the carotid artery. 

 The gases were evacuated at 40° C. Percentage of chloroform inhaled 

 = 2"3 per cent. COa absorbed before experiment, and U-tube 4 always in 

 circuit : — 



Table III. 



Weight of 

 cat. 



Duration of 

 ansesthesia. 



Volume 

 of blood 

 taken. 



Temp. 



of 

 experi- 

 ment. 



Duration of 

 oxygen current 

 in 



Iodine liberated 



in terms of 

 N/1000 sodium 

 thiosulphate in 



Iodine 

 liberated 

 owing to 



CHC1 3 . 



Control. 



Experi- 

 ment. 



Control. 



Experi- 

 ment. 



kilos. 



ruins. 



c.c. 



o 



niin. 



min. 



c.c. 



c.c. 



c.c. 



2-8 



48 



54 



157 



120 



120 



2 -68 



18 -81 



16 -13* 



2-8 



55 



54 



157 



112 



222 



1 -8 



41 -45 



37"88f 



3-5 



78 



54 



100 



120 



120 



1 -5 



9-0 



7-5 



* Blood very dark. f Blood very dark. Animal near asphyxia. 



It seems clear, therefore, from all these experiments, that the iodine 

 liberated by the blood gases of an animal anaesthetised by chloroform is due 

 partly to the vapour of chloroform and partly to the carbon monoxide 

 produced by the action of chloroform vapour on the potash in U-tube 4, but 

 not to the carbon monoxide that might be liberated in the organism. 



In order to obtain further confirmation of this, experiments were made in 



