Physiological Chemistry (Volume 1) (Paperback)

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. 1855. Excerpt: ... chemical metamorphoses. But our deficiency in positive knowledge has here been liberally supplied by hypotheses, whose value we will briefly consider. As might be expected, the discovery of these peculiar molecules in the blood led to that false and illogical application of the word " life," which even now is not wholly banished from physical physiology. The very vagueness of the term "life" served as a cloak for everything that did not readily admit of being referred to physical or chemical agencies. The molecules of the blood were supposed to be endowed with individual vitality like the infusoria, for which they were even mistaken by some observers (Eble and Mayer), in proof of which assertion it was maintained, according to Czermak, Treviranus and Mayer, and still more recently by Emmerson and Reader, that they exhibited a spontaneous motion. Very recently, moreover, one of our most distinguished chemists has been erroneously led by his experiments to believe in a peculiar vital activity of the blood-corpuscles. Dumas could not resist advancing the assertion that the blood-corpuscles possess a certain respiratory activity which may occasionally be reduced to actual asphyxia. It will be a sufficient refutation of this view, if we mention that Dumas was led to this conclusion merely by making the well-known observation that blood-cells, when treated with neutral alkaline salts, cohere when at rest, assume a darker color and begin to be decomposed at a moderate temperature; while this alteration occurs at a later period, when the blood which has been acted on by salts is frequently shaken. Dumas thought that the access of oxygen, brought about by shaking the bloodcorpuscles, caused them to retain their vitality for a longer period; hut when they are shake...