Abstract
The experiments reported here were undertaken in order to compare the effects of the ingestion of potassium chlorate, sodium chloride and water on the oxygen binding capacity (hemoglobin) of the blood. Dogs were used. The last meal was given 18 to 24 hours before the experiment was begun but the animals had free access to water at all times except during the course of the experiment when they were kept in metabolism cages. In this manner it was hoped that when the experiments were begun the hemoglobin of the dogs' blood would be at the physiological level and that normal variations would be avoided as far as possible.
A dose of 0.5 gm. of potassium chlorate per kilo of body weight was given by stomach tube in one per cent solution (equivalent to 50 cc. of water per kilo). At the end of two, four and six hours blood was taken from the jugular vein, following which the dog was given 25 cc. of water per kilo. This made a total of 125 cc. per kilo. A final blood sample was taken 24 hours after the beginning of the experiment. Blood oxygen capacity determinations were made by the Van Slyke method.
The results show that there may be no fall or a slight fall in oxygen capacity after two hours in those cases where the oxygen capacity before feeding potassium chlorate was less than 20 volume per cent. In these cases, however, there was a fall varying from 0.17 to 1.6 volume per cent at the end of four to six hours. By this time the dogs had had, in addition to the potassium chlorate solution, one or two doses of water (25 cc. per kilo), as explained above.
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