HUMAN RESPIRATION - Doctoral Thesis - Simão da Cunha Pereira - 1847

 

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of its weight of water, and that the other 1/4 only contain more of half of its weight in carbon, 6 1/4 pounds of these victuals would be necessary to substitute the amount of carbon, that the breathing would expel in the space of 24 hours, unassuming the other excretions. There is however who recognizes the possibility of still larger exhalation of lung carbonic acid. Milne Beudant and Jussieu, in your zoology summary for schools, establish that, containing the veined blood 1/5 of your volume of carbonic acid, and could be evaluated in almost 250 cubic inches the amount that in one minute crosses the lungs, through them pass consequenty 50 cubic inches of acid carbonic, and this way it is easy of conceiving the possibility of being expelled up to 27 cubic inches in one minute, like they mark. All the experimentalistas, however, except Allen and Pepys, harmonize that the expulsion of the carbonic acid is smaller than the absorption of the oxygen. The disagreement of Allen and Pepys to this respect comes perhaps that they consider the inhaled air pure of carbonic acid, what could not stop dragging great difference in the results.

It remains now to study these phenomena in themselves, or better, the theory of the hematose.

The hypotheses of the iatromatematicians and of the pure-vitalists, to explain the hematose only as historical memory they still are included in the annals of the difficult and important science of the life. Also what will be said here in its respect is that they existed. In another extent one doesn't owe to say of the theory of Lavoisier, whose falsehood in fact will be demonstrated, therefore that in it the explanations fit so well with many of the facts, that, to be destroyed, it was necessary that Magnus, that star of the experimental physiology in the wise Germany, and others supplied, on these last years, data that the science previously didn't possess.

Actually, the hypothesis of the combustion in the breathing act was strengthened largely by the analogy of its results with the one of the ordinary combustion, as well as for its agents' identity; but, as it established in the lungs the formation of the carbonic acid and aqueous vapors expired at the expense of the inspired oxygen, when the previous existence of those principles in the veined blood is now completely proven, it had for its turn of giving up the high place that with justice enjoyed in the opinion of the wise persons. Some other hypotheses more or less reasonable, more or less justified by the phenomena, true touchstone of the theories, they were later presented by men of deserved reputation. H. Davy believed that the carbonic acid was expelled of the sanguineous globules by the decomposing action that exercised the oxygen on them, that, taken by the inspiration, it went in the blood to be dissolved, and then, uniting to them by virtue of its chemical likeness, it gave occasion to free the carbonic acid. He admitted in view of his experiences about the breathing of the oxide-nitrous gas and of the gas hydrogen, that even of the veined blood it exhales a