604 Prof. Macallum. Inorganic Composition of the [June 23^ 



ocean fully accounted for the difference between the composition of the sea 

 water of to-day and the inorganic composition of mammalian blood plasma. 



A difficulty which lay in the way of definitely establishing the oceanic 

 origin of the inorganic composition of the blood plasma was the fact that no 

 analyses of the inorganic salts of the plasma of any Vertebrate below mammals 

 had then been made. Even of the plasma of mammals only few analyses had 

 been on record, and of these only the more recent were from all points 

 of view wholly acceptable. Amongst these came the analyses by Bunge* of 

 the sera of the ox, pig, horse, and dog, by Abderhaldenf of the sera of the 

 ox, sheep, goat, horse, pig, rabbit, dog, and cat. Of the analyses of the 

 serum of man the more important recorded are those of C. SchraidtJ and 

 Bunge. § 



Though thei"e was in all these analyses a marked similarity of proportions 

 in the potassium, calcium and magnesium in relation to the sodium, it was 

 open to doubt whether these proportions would be found to obtain in the 

 blood plasma of birds, reptiles, amphibia, and fishes. 



There have been made a number of analyses of the blood in Invertebrates. 

 Those of Griffiths! I bear on the blood in a number of Crustacea, including the 

 lobster, and in a number of Mollusca, including the Cephalopods, Sepia 

 officinalis and Octopus mdgaris. In his results there is a remarkable similarity 

 in the composition of the ash in all these forms, and the only noteworthy 

 difference is the comparatively low proportion of lime (CaO) in Ceplialopod 

 blood. How far these analyses are representative one cannot say, for his 

 results have not hitherto been checked, but the composition of the blood of 

 the lobster, Homarus vulgaris, as given by Griffiths, does not correspond 

 with what I have found in Homarus amcricanus, and it is, therefore, 

 necessary to hold in suspense any opinion as to their general acceptability. 



That one must adopt a critical attitude towards the results of analyses of 

 this kind is emphasised by a consideration of those which have been furnished 

 by a number of observations in this respect made on the blood of a single 

 species. Gcnth,1f Gotch and Laws,** and McGuiganft have analysed the 



* " Zur (luantitativen Analyse don IJluteH," ' Zcit. fiir Biologie,' 1886, vol. 12, p. 191. 



+ " Zur <iuantitativen Analyse des Blutes," ' Zeit. fiir Physiol. Cheniie,' 1897, vol. 23, 

 )). .')21. Also "Zur (juantitativen vcrgleichcnden Analyse dos Hlutcs," ' Zoit. fiir 

 Physiol. { !honiie,' 1898, vol. 25, ]>. fi.5. 



\ " C'harak,terist,ik dcr Ki)i(!oniiHche (!holera," Leipzig und Mita\i, IB.W. 



§ Op. ri.t., pp. 221 and 222. 



II 'Roy. Soc. Edinburgh Proc.,' 1890—91, vol. 18, p. 288. 

 t ' Annalen dor Cheniie,' 1852, vol. 81, p. 68. 

 ** 'Britisli Association,' 1884, p. 774. 

 ++ ' Scict)ce,' 1907, vol. 2.5, p. 68. 



