The Dublin Quarterly Journal of Medical Science (Volume 17)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1854. Excerpt: ... which necessitated the abstraction have also a considerable influence in rendering the blood less dense. The result of the alteration of the serum of the blood under the influence of two bleedings made at short intervals in twenty-seven individuals, who were all similarly affected, is given in a tabular form, to which, however, we must refer our readers. The variations which the blood's composition undergoes in the various pathological states of the system are considered at freat length and with considerable minuteness; the excess or eficiency of any constituent being established by a comparison with a model or standard of health previously deduced from a careful analysis of the blood of twenty-two individuals in health. There is some difficulty in constructing a formula which will represent in a general manner the composition of the blood in a healthy physiological state, due consideration being had for the thousand influences which tend to modify the results. According to Prevost and Dumas, who were the first to publish an analysis of the mean composition of the blood, this fluid contains in 1000 parts, 127 of globules, 3 of fibrine, 80 of solids of the serum, 790 of water. This formula, modified by M. Denis first, and afterwards by M. Lecanu, was nevertheless adopted by MM. Andral and Gavarret, and used by them as the point de depart to which they invariably referred in establishing general principles respecting alterations of the blood. According to the experiments of our authors, healthy blood contains 135 of globules, 2-5 fibrine, 80 35 solid matters of the serum, and 7816 water, per 1000 parts. In each great division of diseases the part played by the blood is made the subject of close investigation, and appended to the history of each is an expos...