OXYGEN AS A THERAPEUTIC AGENT. 
*7 
In a normal condition we can assume that the circulation 
of the blood is uniform and regular throughout the body ; this 
being true, it will require about one gallon of oxygen for each 
pound of the body on an average, and it is only on the average 
supply that we can base our figures. Under certain conditions 
and under certain circumstances, however, this will very mate- 
rially change. As we have before stated, carbon dioxide is 
the result of retrograde metamorphosis of the tissues ; in venous 
blood, it is in about the proportion to oxygen of one to four ; 
this seems to be the limit set by nature where the work of 
reparation can take place. While that may be the proportion 
in the general venous circulation, yet there are local conditions 
where the amount of carbon dioxide is much increased, and we 
must remember that when the proportion of oxygen to carbon 
dioxide is increased beyond that point, the work of reparation 
is slow, and as the proportion of carbon dioxide increases, the 
reparative process stops altogether. For the purpose of fully 
demonstrating the point I wish to make, suppose we select from 
the great variety of wounds and old sores that are met with in 
practice, the class of sores generally known as indolent. While 
there are many varieties of sores that yield readily to almost any 
kind of proper treatment, and even some that are called indo¬ 
lent may also yield to good treatment, yet the special condition 
of sore to which I refer has no tendency to heal ; in fact, it can¬ 
not be healed by any treatment now generally known to the 
medical profession. For this reason it has been called the 
'‘Opprobrium Medicorum.” All the varieties of caustics and 
cauteries have been used without avail—the acid, alkalies and 
metallic caustics, as well as the actual cautery, and the only 
result, as a rule, so far obtained, has been to increase the size 
without in any way changing its indolent character. The med¬ 
ical profession for many years have recognized the fact that this 
indolent condition was brought about and maintained by an 
imperfect or impeded circulation to the affected part ; conse¬ 
quently, all their efforts have been directed to acquiring a 
means by which the impediment to the circulation could be 
