"ARTDR/N" (?) AND "PHLEBIN" (?). 191 
with another constituent of the corpuscle ; but the statement itself, as made 
by Hoppe-Seyler, is incorrect. Although the fact has been denied by some 
writers, there can be no question whatever, on the evidence of so eminent 
an observer as Kiihnc, 1 as well as of Funke, 2 Brisegger and Bruch, 3 Bdttcher, 
Kolliker, L. Beale, 4 Owsjannikow, 5 Richardson, 6 and Klebs, that what Preyer 
terms " intraglobular crystallisation " can and dors occur, i.e. a single crystal 
forms in the interior of a coloured blood corpuscle. The process is most easily 
followed in the blood corpuscles of certain fishes, 7 though it has also been 
observed in those of the dog (Kiilmc) and of the rat. 8 The most remarkable 
fact with regard to intraglobular crystallisation is, that when water is added 
to a preparation exhibiting it, the crystal at once disappears, and the cor- 
puscles resume their original appearance. 7 
Again, at first sight, the difference in behaviour of the blood corpuscles 
and of hemoglobin towards peroxide of hydrogen appears thoroughly in 
favour of Hoppe-Seyler's hypothesis. It was, however, shown by Bergengruen, 
who first discovered the facts in reference to H.,0.„ that the decomposing 
action exerted by the blood corpuscles on- H.,0 2 depends upon their stroma. 
Solutions of perfectly pure crystals of oxyhemoglobin have no action what- 
ever on peroxide of hydrogen, whilst the stroma of the coloured blood 
corpuscles exerts an intense action. 8 All forms of protoplasm (splenic 
cells, colourless corpuscles, yeast cells), decompose H , though the stroma 
of the coloured corpuscles acts most powerfully. The fact of the decom- 
posing action being exerted by the stroma, and the stroma only, explains 
why the blood corpuscles are not oxidised whilst oxyhemoglobin is so, the 
colouring matter in the corpuscles not coming in contact with the unde- 
composed H.,0 . 
The greater readiness, as compared with pure haemoglobin, with which, 
according to Hoppe-Seyler, the blood corpuscles give up either the oxygen or 
the carbonic oxide which may be combined with their colouring matter (if the 
facts were true, which we are not prepared to admit), would be much more 
probably due to a katalytic action, exerted by some other constituent of the 
corpuscle, than to any radical difference between the colouring matter of the 
corpuscles and hemoglobin. 
The one point of difference between the colouring matter of the corpuscles 
and oxyhemoglobin, which at first sight appears most difficult to explain, is 
the action of solution of potassium ferricyanide. As von Mering 9 showed, if 
fresh defibrinated blood be mixed with solutions containing 2|, 5, and 10 per 
cent, of the ferricyanide, the mixture assumes a scarlet colour, and even after 
twenty-four hours contains the blood-colouring matter unaltered. On adding, 
however, the same solution of the ferricyanide, in the same proportions, to 
solutions of pure oxyhemoglobin, they assume almost instantaneously the 
colour, and exhibit the spectrum of methemoglobin. 
1 W. Kiihue, Virchow's Arehiv, Bd. xxxiv. S. 423. 
2 "Ueber Blutkrystallisation," Ztschr. f. rat. Med., 1852, N.F., Bd. i. S. 288-292. 
3 " Blutkrystalle, und organische Krystalle ueberhaupt" (15th Sept. and 15tb Oct. 
1852), Verhandl. d. naturf. Gesellsch. in Basel, 1854-1857, Bd. i. S. 173-185. 
4 "Observations upon the Nature of the Red Blood Corpuscles." Quart. Journ. Micr. 
&'c, London, 1864, pp. 32-43. 
5 " Zur Histologie der Blutkorperchem," Bull. Acad. d. sc. de St. Pitersbourg, vol. viii. 
pp. 561-572 (describes intraglobular crystallisation in Osmcrus eperlanus). 
6 "Structure of the Red Blood Corpuscles," Philadelphia, 1870 (describes intraglobular 
crystallisation in Menobranchus). 
7 Kuhne, see W. Preyer, "Die Blutkrystalle," Jena. 1871, S. 2 and 3. See also Funke's 
"Atlas of Physiological Chemistry" (London, printed for the Cavendish Society, 1853), 
Plate x. fig. 5. and the description at p. 17 of the "Description of the Plates." 
8 Paul Bergengruen, "Ueber die Wechselwirkung zwischen Wasserstoffsuperoxyd und 
verschiedenen Protoplasmaformen," Inaug. Diss., Dorpat, 1888. 
y "Ueber die Wirkung des ferricyan. Kalium auf Blut, " Ztschr. f. physiol. Chem., 
Strassburg, 1883, Bd. viii. S. 186, 189. 
