The Sun.
London, England, 1858-09-18 00:00:00

_EXPER.

BLOOD

Dr. Claude Bernard has just communicated a
most interesting series of experiments to the Aca-
demy of Sciences, on the nature of the blood which
passes throngh the glands, and on the functions of
those organs. We mentioned some months ago that
the same eminent physiologist had established the
fact that venobs blood in passing through the glands
is red when the latter expels the produce of their
secretions, and black, on the contrary, when they are
in a state of rest. He now states that the reason
why the oxide of carbon is poisonous to animals is
that it instantly deprives the globules of blood of
their oxygen, by which means those globules are,
so to say, paralysed, and can no longer absorb
that vital principle. If all the globules have
undergone that action at once, death is instanta-
neous, and the subject can no longer be recalled to
life by artificial insulation ; if only part of the
blood has been affected, death is delayed in propor-
tion. The oxide of carbon is therefore eminently
calculated to determine the quantity of oxygen con-
tained in the blood. For this purpose Dr. Bernard
draws the blood he wishes to examine by means of
a graduated syringe, and instantly makes it pass
into a graduated tube previously filled with the
oxide of carbon on a mercury bath. The gas, on
being well shaken with the blood, exercises its
chemical action upon it ; the latter instantly as-
sumes the colour of vermillion, and the gas may
then be analysed to ascertain the oxygen it con-
tains. We now come to the principal point of
the question, viz., whether the red venous blood
issuing from a gland contains as much oxygen as
the black, or more. "In the present state of our
knowledge," says Dr. Bernard, " there are but
two suppositions possible regarding the cause of
the red colour observable in the blood which issues
from a gland in the full exercise of its functions,
and is so active that it produces pulsations like
those of arterial blood when the secretion is very
intense. It might be thought that red venous
blood was merely arterial blood, having passed
through the capillary vessels with such rapidity
that it had not had time to become venous, that is,
to emit its oxygen and replace it by carbonic acid.
But it might alto be supposed that red venous blood
eras in (r-ly c ):11 mon vcnous blood, with this differ-
ence, that it had not retained its black hue, because,
being formed at the instant of secretion, it had by
the glandular excretion been deprived of its carbonic
acid, which otherwise would have blackened it, as is
the case when the gland does not secrete, and the car-
bonic acid carmot escape." To decide this Dr. Bernard
operated on the blood of a dog, and found by the
process above described that red venous blood
contains oxygen to the amount of 17 per cent. of
its volume, arterial blood 19 per cent., and black
venous blood only 6 per cent. This result -would
tend to confirm the first supposition, were it not
that this red glandular blood differs from that of
the arteries in various particulars. It has much
less fibrin, and less water; it is, besides, much
more subject to alteration, since it becomes black
sooner when extracted. The author then adverts
to this singular fact that it is precisely when the
glands are at rest that the blood issues deoxidised
and charged with carbonic acid, while the contrary
takes place when the glands are in activity ; this
being just the contrary of what occurs in the mus-
cular system where the blood is deoxodised in pro-
portion to the intensity of muscular action. Dr.
Bernard concludes therefore that the correctness of
the present theory of the glandular functions may
be doubted, and that it requires further investiga-
tion.

A BOLTER.—On Thursday week last, a prisoner
attempted to escape from Prince Town Prison, Dartmoor.
He was shot at by the soldiers and received a ball in his
leg, thus showing that he had a better leg for a ball than a
bail.

THE SHIPPING MOTEMENT.—At a time when
public feeling is being directed to the seriously depressed
state of shipping, and consequently to the classes more or
less dependent upon the mercantile interest of Great Bri-
tain, it may be well to bring before the attention of the ship-
owners about to move in the projected measures for relief,
that during the last few days eight cargoes of salt have
been imported into the Tyne from the Humber, seven of
which have been brought in foreign ships—viz., the
Helene, Hjahner, Peter Johansen, Elwina, C. H. Knit-
schky, Grania, and Gazellan, and only one cargo carried by
an English vessel, the Sultan—seven foreigners to one
British in a portion of the coasting trade of this country.
Surely statistics such as the foregoing in relation to that
department of our native shipping which has been deemed
as the nursery, per excellence, for the best men to man the
navy, will induce immediate action at all the outports.—
Skipping Gazette. _

CHILD MURDER—Yesterday' afternoon an inves-
tigation took place at the Cannon Tavern, Hammersmith,
before Mr. Wakley, on the bodies of two new born infants
(male and female). William Nicholls, waterman of Queen-
street, Hammersmith, said—About 8 o'clock on Wednesday
morning I was rowing across the river in my boat, near the
Suspension-bridge, when I discovered a wooden box, about
seven feet from the strand. I got it into the boat, and was
pulling a little further along shore, when I noticed another
box, of a similar size and make. I took both of them ashore
and found them to contain the infants, the subjects of the,
present inquiry. In the box which I first discovered was
the male infant, wrapped in very fine linen. There were
considerable marks of violence apparent, particularly the
mark of a ligature round the neck. Other witnesses cor-
roborated the above evidence. The police said that every
inquiry had been made to trace the parties who were con-
nected with the affair, but hitherto without success, Mr.
Hunt, surgeon, of Bridge-road, Hammersmith, said_he had

made a post mortem examination, and had no doubt they
had been born alive, and destroyed. Verdiet—" Wilful
murder against some person or persons unknown."
AN EPISODE IN THE QUEEN'S JOURNEY TO LEEDS.

—On the 6th inst., upon the arrival of her Majesty at the
Great Northern Station, Doncaster, it was intimated to the
officials that herMajestyhad not received her letters, which
had been directed to be forwarded to Peterborough and there
delivered to her Majesty in the Royal saloon. Her
Majesty was informed that they should be forwarded to
Woodsley House, the residence of the Mayor of Leeds,
where the Royal family were staying. Soon after the
royal train had left the station, a special engine, in the
care of a trusty and thoroughly competent driver, was de-
spatched to Peterborough at half-past 5. It arrived in due
course, and after a short stay at that city to take in water,
the special engine left at 7.30, accompanied by superin-
tendent Edwards, in whose custody the Queen's letters
had been deposited by the Marquis of Exeter, arrived at
Doncaster at 9.24, having accomplished the distance of 160
miles in 3 hours and 54 min. The letters were at once for-
warded to Leeds by the 9.30 p.m. train to Leeds, and her
Majesty received them byspecial messenger soon after half-
past 10. The special engine ran to Peterbornugh in' 20
minutes less time than the first-class express travels the
same distance.—Stamford Mercury.
TILE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA.—The scheme de-
vised by the united sagacity of Sir James Melvill and Mr.
Leach for the amalgamation of the two establishments
hitherto engaged in the conduct of business connected with
the government of India has been entirely approved by Lord
Stanley, and will be immediately carried out. The chief
office in the Secretary of State's department will, we believe,
consist of six secretaries for correspondence, who are to be
placed in charge of the various branches of the government.
It is probable that these important posts will be filled in the
following manner ;—Revenue department. Mr. Prideaux ;
judicial ditto, Mr. Hawkins; political ditto, Mr. Kaye; rail-
way and telegraph, Mr. Danvers ; public works, Mr.
Thornton; public department, Mr. Bourdillon. The mili-
tary department, it is said, will be placed under the charge
of a military officer, on the anticipated retirement of Mr.
Philip Melvill—the assistant-secretary being Mr. Eade.
The head of the marine department will be Mr. C. C. Plow-
den, late assistant-secretary at the India Board—Mr. Mason
retiring. Mr. Sandoz is spoken of as the new auditor, and
Mr. Dunsmure as cashier—vice Mr. Morgan, who retires.
The retirement of Mr. Collingwood leaves the field clear for
the appointment of Mr. Frien as accountant-general. Mr.
Hornidge, we imagine, will remain at the head of the
statistital office, while Mr. Clark will act as agent to the
administrator-general.—Allen's Indian Mail.
OVERCROWDING OF STEAMERS.—At the Justice
of Peace Court on Monday, in the presence of Joseph A.
Wright and David Smith, Esqs., Jas. Turnbull, master of
the steamer Thistle, was charged with a contravention of
the Merchant Shipping Act-of 1854, particularly section
319, in so far as on the 9th and 10th days of August, the
steamship Thistle, under his charge, had on board, during
the whole or part, of her voyage from Londonderry to Glas-
gow, and on arrival in the Clyde, 1,700 passengers, being
1,174 more than the number allowed to be carried in said
ship by the sea-going certificate issued by the Board
of Trade, applicable to said . ship, of date August 4, 1858,
namely, 468 deck and 58 cabin passengers. The defendant
had thereby incurred a penalty not exceeding £2O, and also
an additional penalty, not exceeding 55., for every pas-
senger on board over and above the number allowed by the
certificate. The prosecution was conducted by Mr. Douglas,
Procurator Fiscal, who made the complaint on instructions
received from the Board of Trade ; and Mr. Adam Pater-
son, writer, appeared for the defence. Mr. Trevor, collector
of customs, was also present. The defendant was con-
victed and sentenced to pay a fine of ls. for each passenger
in excess of the number allowed by the certificate, being
£5B 145., and £lO being half of the penalty of £2O in terms
of the Act, making in all £6B 14s. The justices trusted
that this would prove a warning not only to Captain Turn-
bull, but to others similarly engaged, and also to the
masters of river boats.—North British Daily Mail.
PAINLESS INCISIONS UNDER ELECTRICITY.—
During the last week Mr. Marshall, of University College
Hospital, following out the principles now so widely dis-
cussed, of tooth extractions under the influence of electricity,
has made some interesting observations with the view of
testing the powers of the electric current to modify the sensi-
bility of parts operated on by the knife. The operations, 9in
number, performed under its influence, include the incising of
abscesses and 'carbuncles, the removal of necrosed bone, and
also of a fatty tumour of considerable size. The general effect
has been to modify the pain of ordinary incisions, render-
ing the suffering less acute. In one case, this . effect was
very striking. On some occasions, however, the pain was
aggravated, apparently owing to the strength of the current
employed. Perfect insensibility was never produced, and
the results claim notice as those of early trials only: Mr.
Marshall's first operation was performed on the 9th inst.
The coil apparatus was used, one pole being connected with
the knife employed, and the other placed either on the
patient's neck or in his hand—the current being, cf cour,c,
(?;‘ of .2ii.‘es.
PEMBROKE DOCK AND TENBY LINE.—Some six
weeks ago we advocated the propriety and the necessity of
at once constracting a line of railway between Pembroke
Dock and Tenby. We are pleased to learn that there is now
a prospect of the line being speedily commenced. During
the past few days Mr. Hamilton H. Fulton, C.E., of West-
minster, has been engaged in surveying the proposed line,
and finds no engineering difficulties whatever. It will be
a surface line and will not cost more than £5,000 a mile. It
is supposed that most of the owners of the property through
which the intended line will pass will take out the value of
lands iu shares and at .agricultural,priees.—.-4filford
Telegraph,