531- 
Home Department. 
EFFECTS OF COD LIVER OIL ON THE BLOOD. 
(From Report of Royal Society, April 27th, 1854.) 
A paper was read: — “On the Changes produced in the 
Blood by the Administration of Cod-liver Oil and Cocoa-nut 
Oil. By Theophilus Thompson, M.D., F.R.S. 
The author has found, that during the administration of 
cod-liver oil to phthisical patients their blood grew richer in 
red corpuscles, and he refers to a previous observation of Dr. 
Franz Simon to the same effect. The use of almond-oil and 
of olive oil was not followed by any remedial effect ; but from 
cocoa-nut oil, results were obtained almost as decided as from 
the oil of the liver of the cod, and the author believes it 
may turn out to be a useful substitute. The oil employed 
was a pure cocoa oleine, obtained by pressure from crude 
cocoa-nut oil, as expressed in Ceylon and the Malabar coast 
from the Copperah or dried cocoa-nut kernel, and refined by 
being treated with an alkali, and then repeatedly washed with 
distilled water. It burns with a faint blue flame, showing a 
comparatively small proportion of carbon, and is undrying. 
The analysis of the blood was conducted by Mr. Dugald 
Campbell. The whole quantity abstracted having been 
weighed, the coagulum was drained on bibulous paper for four 
or five hours, weighed, and divided into two portions. One 
portion was weighed, and then dried in a water-oven, to 
determine the water. The other was macerated in cold water 
until it became colourless, then moderately dried, and 
digested with ether and alcohol, to remove fat ; and, finally, 
dried completely, and’ weighed as fibrin. From the respective 
weights of the fibrin, and the dry clot, that of the corpuscles 
was calculated. The following were the results observed in 
seven different individuals affected with phthisis in different 
stages of advancement : 
Red corpuscles. Fibrine. 
First stage, before the use of cod- { Female 1 29*26 4*52 
liver oil . > Male 116-53 13-57 
First stage, after the use of cod- S Female 136*47 5 -00 
liver oil . , \ Male 121*53 4*70 
Th UveroT’ after the use of cod ' < Male 138-74 2-23 
Third stage, after the use of cocoa- { Male 139*95 2*31 
nut oil . . . • \ Male 144*95 4*61 
