792  Antidoting  Mercuric  Chloride  Poisoning.      j  Am'Novr'i92iarm* 
is  expelled  from  the  heart  engine.  Accordingly,  in  a  minute,  after 
seventy-five  heart  beats  the  energetic  heart  has  pumped  750  cubic 
inches  of  blood.  This  means  that  the  heart  pumps  45,000  cubic  inches 
of  blood  an  hour,  1,000,000  cubic  inches  of  blood  a  day,  and  392,- 
000,000  cubic  inches,  or  more  than  225,000  cubic  feet  of  blood  each 
year.  Were  the  heart  a  water  pump  instead  of  a  blood  pump,  it 
would  expel  since  a  cubic  foot  of  water  weights  about  62^  pounds, 
approximately,  7000  tons  of  water,  during  the  course  of  one  year. 
And  this  amount  of  work  is  accomplished  by  only  a  part  of 
a  small  muscular  organ  about  as  big  as  the  average  human  fist! 
It  has  been  estimated  that  the  left  ventricle  alone  exercises  sufficient 
pressure  per  square  inch  to  support  a  column  of  blood  9  feet  in 
height,  and  that  it  performs  daily  an  amount  of  work  equal  to  90 
foot-tons.  Were  we  able  to  collect  in  a  cubical  reservoir  all  the  blood 
pumped  by  one  heart-engine  in  one  year,  that  reservoir  would  be 
about  61  feet  in  each  of  its  three  dimensions.  Or,  were  a  circular 
water-tower  with  a  diameter  of  50  feet,  it  would  be  somewhat  more 
than  115  feet  in  height,  and  it  would  contain  about  1,700,000  gal- 
lons. 
ANTIDOTING  MERCURIC  CHLORIDE  POISONING  * 
The  following  mode  of  treatment  in  the  antidoting  of  mercuric 
chloride  poisoning  has  been  sanctioned  and  recommended  by  the 
Naval  medical  authorities,  and  is  alleged  to  be  certain  of  its  aim  if 
its  instructions  are  rigidly  adhered  to.  [Adherence  to  these  spe- 
cifications seem  to  require  the  services  of  an  entire  hospital  staff. — 1 
Ed.] 
1.  Administer  the  whites  of  three  eggs  beaten  up  in  a  quart  of 
milk  and  then  empty  the  stomach  by  siphonage. 
2.  Give  300  cc.  of  fresh  calcium  sulphide  solution,  containing  1 
grain  to  1  ounce  of  water  by  mouth. 
3.  Wash  out  the  stomach  with  fresh  calcium  sulphide  solution, 
1  grain  to  1  ounce  of  water. 
4.  Administer  in  powder  or  tablet  0.36  gram  of  sodium  phos- 
phite and  0.24  gram  of  sodium  acetate.  If  this  is  not  available,  give 
the  following: 
*From  the  Naval  Medical  Bulletin. 
