on the Chemical effects of chloral hydrate, etc. 119 
normal condition; the two other samples exhibited a yel¬ 
lowish rose-red hue, and the taste of Sample C was very 
disagreeable. In 1000 grms. the samples contained— 
o 
J. 
Average Composition 
A. 
B. 
c. 
of Milk in its 
normal state. 
Butter 
16-96 
14-93 
12-60 
30 
Milk sugar 
33-90 
31-40 
16-45 
50 
Casein 
55 
50-25 
55 
34 
Albumen . 
55 
20-60 
55 
6 
Salts 
D 
18-50 
33 
7 
—Dr. Husson, 
ibid. 
OBSERVATIONS 
AND 
EXPERIMENTS WITH 
THE MICRO- 
SCOPE ON 
THE 
CHEMICAL 
EFFECTS 
OF CHLORAL 
HYDRATE, CHLOROFORM, PRUSSIC ACID, AND OTHER 
AGENTS, ON THE FLOOD. 
By Thomas Shearman Ralph, M.R.C.S. Eng. 
On a former occasion, now five years ago, I had the honour 
of reading before the Medical Society of Victoria a paper 
entitled “ Observations and Experiments with the Micro¬ 
scope on the Effects of Prussic Acid on the Animal Economy,” 
in which I pointed out the specific or chemical action of that 
agent on the blood, viz. that the iron was laid hold of by the 
cyanogen, and the result was the formation of prussian blue, 
or some cyanic compound of iron. Accompanying this re¬ 
markable change was another, which I also pointed out, 
that certain oval bodies, closely resembling starch grains, 
were formed. These bodies turning blue under the action 
of iodine, and polarizing, were seen to form in the field of the 
microscope. 
After my communication on the effects of prussic acid I 
investigated the action of another chemical agent, which 
exhibits decided effects on the corpuscles of the blood when 
applied to them out of the body; namely, ammonio-sulphate 
of copper. When blood is allowed to flow into a solution of 
this compound, it is found that the contained matter of the 
red corpuscles cannot pass out; for when blood is drawn and 
placed in a thin film on glass, and examined under the 
microscope, it is found that the major part of the corpuscles 
gives up the contained matter, and the empty cell walls or 
coverings remain behind. This is well seen on applying a 
solution of magenta to blood under the microscope ; the field 
becomes occupied by a vast amount of granular matter, 
coloured red by the dye ; while the cell walls or envelopes lie 
in abundance uncoloured, or at the most presenting to the 
