Farther observations on the state of the blood after taking food.

  • Buchanan, Andrew, 1798-1882.
Date:
[1845]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Farther observations on the state of the blood after taking food. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    II. Carbonate of Potass, Abundant, Bicarbonate of Potass, Sbglit, III. Pbosphate of Soda, No Precipitate. Borate of Soda, Do. Bicarbon.ate of Soda, Liquid slightly turbid. Sulphate of Potass, Do. Nitrate of Potass, No Precipitate. Chlorate of Potass, Do. Ilydriodatc of Potass, Do. Triple Prussiate, Do. Sulphate of Iron, Do. Carbonate of Ammonia, Do. Muriate of Ammonia, Do. A solution of the albumen ovi gives a precipitate on being saturated with salt, but it is not resoluble on the addition of water. I may now relate a few additional experiments and observations, some of which were made before those last mentioned, but the account of them was deferred, not to interfere with the preceding argument. Chyle and Serum.—Having obtained a little chyle from the thoracic duct of a dog fed a few hours previously with oatmeal porridge and milk, I mixed it with some serum which I had brought with me for the purpose. Ifrendcred the serum turbid, and very like in appearance to that which separates from blood after taking food. A very delicate voluminous coagulum soon formed in the liquid. Serum op Diabetic Blood.—Towards the end of July, I obtained from a medical friend some veiy opaque serum from the blood of a woman labouring under dia- betes, for w'hich she had been bled three times, the blood each time exhibiting the same ch.aracters. The discolouration was occasioned by aflocculent brownish white matter, which, in the course of two days, collected in the upper half of the vessel, leaving the liquid below quite clear. This matter exactly resembled in appearance that separated by salt, and this strengthened the opinion which I had begun to entertain, that the substance separating spontaneously and that sepai'able by salt, were mere modifications of the same substance. On drawing off the clear liquid, and saturating it with salt, it gave a precipitate not less abundant than that wduch had previously separated spontaneously. As I had never before seen senim so loaded with alimentary matter, I inquired as to the diet of this woman, and found it to consist daily of beef 24 oz., bread 12 oz., milk 12 oz., cabbage 6 oz., and 11 lbs. of drink including the milk. She took besides 3 gi\ of opium daily The urine amounted to 2C^ lbs. on an average in the twenty-four hours, and was highly saccharine. It is also worthy of remark with respect to this serum, that after it had been a day in my possession I found it to have a most distinct acid reaction. This fact can scarcely be explained, but on the supposition that the serum contained sugar, wliich had been converted into lactic acid. Herrings.—On the 2d of August, after a fast of cigliteen hours, E. took a full meal of fresh herrings, with no other accompaniment than salt. He was bled im- mediately before the meal, and at two, and four hours after it. The scrum from the first bleeding was quite limpid, that from the second was highly opaline, and that from the third was quite opacpic. All of them gave a .Not Ilesoluble. Do.