Researches on the nature of the normal destruction of sugar in the animal system / by Frederick William Pavy.

  • Pavy, F. W. (Frederick William), 1829-1911.
Date:
[1855]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Researches on the nature of the normal destruction of sugar in the animal system / by Frederick William Pavy. 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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    tissue or flesh of animals. Chemists are now satisfactorily of accord in admitting the presence of lactic acid as a pretty- abundant constituent of gastric juice and the juice of flesh. Sugar, therefore, which is normally a constant ingredient of right ventricular blood, principally disappears during the act of arteriahzation j and the lactic acid, into which it would appear converted, in the manner I have pointed out, is sepa- rated from this arterialized blood in the stomach and in the muscular tissue of animals. It is well known, as regards the lactic acid fermentation, that the presence of an alkali favours or accelerates, whilst that of an acid retards or checks this process. Now, in col- lecting all the experimental evidence that suggested itself to me concerning the nature of the destruction of saccharine matter in the animal economy, I have injected carbonate of soda and phosphoric acid into the circulation, and, as the fol- lowing details will show, the results I obtained were perfectly in accordance with the views that have been entertained on this subject. In the one case, I removed a small quantity of blood from the carotid artery of a black and tau terrier dog, and after observing that it communicated the usual small re- action of saccharine matter, I exposed the jugular vein, and injected into it about an ounce of the dilute phosphoric acid of the London Pharmacopoeia. A second quantity of blood was removed from the same carotid artery, and this was now so largely impregnated with sugar that it communicated nearly as strong a reaction as right ventricular blood. It is worthy of remark, that the injection produced a faintly perceptible acid reaction of the blood. The animal manifested a con- siderable amount of disturbance, vomiting the contents of its stomach, voiding its faeces, and breathing in a hurried and laborious manner. It was afterwards afi'ected with complete paralysis, first of the hind extremities, then of the fore, and subsequently died during the night. In the other case, 100 grains of the crystallized carbonate of soda, dissolved in 11 drachms of water, were similarly injected into the jugular vein of a dog, blood being removed for examination from the carotid artery before and after the operation. The two speci- mens of blood yielded, on analysis, a similar reaction, corre- sponding with that of ordinary arterial blood. The injection