TRANSLATIONS FROM CONTINENTAL JOURNALS. 
41 
ON THE RED COLOUR OF VENOUS BLOOD. 
By Professors Gluge and Thierness, Members of the Royal Academy of 
Medicine of Belgium. 
In a paper read at the Academy of Science in Paris, by 
M. Claude Bernard, he proved, according to the experiments 
laid by him before the meeting, that the venous blood of the 
different glands is red, like that in the arteries, when these 
organs are in full activity ; and that it is only when they do 
not secrete, or perform their usual function, that the blood 
becomes of a dark colour. This was first observed in 1845, 
by this learned physiologist, in the renal vein of the dog, 
when making some experiments in order to ascertain the 
elimination of certain substances by the kidneys, and he has 
again observed it in making fresh experiments on dogs and 
rabbits. 
These observations have been repeatedly made, principally 
on the kidneys and the submaxillary glands. M. Bernard 
has remarked, that when the urine passes, drop by drop, 
through the ureters, the blood, as well as the kidneys, is red; 
while, on the other hand, if the secretion be suspended, both 
are black. He has also ascertained that by exciting the sub¬ 
maxillary glands, by means of vinegar introduced into the 
mouth, the blood in the veins directly assumes a reddish 
colour. The same occurs w 7 hen the sublingual nerve is ex¬ 
cited by galvanism. Other experiments made by M. Bernard 
on the parotid gland and the glands of the intestinal tube, 
have furnished similar results. 
These important discoveries having been made by the 
eminent professor of the College of France, as soon as they 
were made public other experiments were instituted, not 
from any doubt of their truth, but on account of the great 
interest they possess in a physiological point of view. 
Several experiments were made by MM. Gluge and 
Thierness on the dog, rabbit, horse, and sheep, the results of 
which were, first, that the venous blood of the kidneys was 
found red, but not so red as the arterial blood, when those 
organs are in active secretion; but when the secretion became 
suspended, then the blood was of the same dark colour as that 
in the vena cava. Secondlv, that the venous blood of the 
parotid and submaxillary glands does not change its dark 
colour, even when these glands are under special exciting in¬ 
fluences, and secreting abundant saliva. 
() 
XXXII. 
