DR. A. GAMGrEE ON THE ACTION OF NITRITES ON BLOOD. 
601 
Blood employed 16’38 cub. centims. 
Air placed in contact with blood 225 - 7 vols. 1 
After contact with blood for twenty-three hours . . 225 - 8 ,, 
After absorption of carbonic acid ....... 225 ‘8 vols. 
After addition of hydrogen 343T7 ,, 
After explosion 203-30 ,, 
In 100 parts of gas. 
Oxygen 20 ’65 
Nitrogen . . . . 79-35 
The volume of gas before and after contact with blood has remained the same. 
Yol. of gas before contact =225"7 vols. = 25T4 cub. centims. at 0°C. and 0 ra *76. 
Oxygen present in air before contact (calculated) =47" 3 vols. 
Oxygen present in air after contact (found) . = 46-62 vols. 
The amount of oxygen absorbed by the blood used = 0-68 vol. = 0-075 c.c.at0°C.& 0 m -76. 
The blood and nitrite which had been used in this experiment was at its conclusion 
examined with the spectroscope. The spectrum exhibited a dark absorption-band in 
the red, with very great faintness of the normal bands. 
In the experiment just detailed, in which the blood brought in contact with air had 
been fully acted upon by nitrite of sodium, no marked absorption of oxygen had taken 
place. A cubic inch of blood had not absorbed one-tenth of a cubic centimetre of 
oxygen. 
II. This observation is intended also to illustrate the action of nitrite of sodium upon 
blood. 
The blood used was defib rinated blood of the Sheep, well arterialized by agitation 
with air. It was found by direct experiment that 1 cubic inch of this blood was fully 
and readily acted upon by 1-5 cub. centim. of a solution of nitrite of sodium of known 
strength. A sufficient quantity of air having then been introduced in the eudiometer 
and measured, not quite 16 cub. centims. of blood were thrown into the laboratory tube, 
then 2 cub. centims. of the solution of nitrite of sodium added. This quantity of solu- 
tion contained 0-016 grm. of NaN0 2 . The gas and blood were then agitated. 
Vol. of blood about 16 cub. centims. 
Air placed in contact with blood 271 - 2 vols. 
After contact with blood and nitrite for twenty-four hours . . 271‘5 vols. 
After absorption of carbonic acid 268-6 
After addition of hydrogen 394"03 
After explosion 223-36 
' I have not thought it advisable to give in the body of the paper the uncorrected readings made in the course 
of the gas-analyses. I have reduced all these to corrected volumes : 
1 volume =0-1114 cub. centim. at 0° C. and 0 m -76. 
4 n 2 
