Studies on the effects of carbon mon-oxide poisoning

If an animal be allowed to breathe an atmosphere containing carbon mon-oxide, it will soon present a series of circulatory, respiratory, cerebral and metabolic disturbances, which, if carried too far, will result in death. These disturbances are believed to be brought about by the reduction of the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood, due to the formation of the relatively stable carbon mon-oxide-hemoglobin, thus producing a state of progressive asphyxiation of the tissues. The severity of these disturbances depends entirely upon the degree of asphyxiation; and, with the exception of some individual peculiarities in a few of the twenty-one dogs that I have experimented upon under anæsthesia, all presented the same symptoms at the same stage of asphyxiation.

In nine experiments the following subjects were studied in their relationship to the degree of saturation of the hemoglobin with carbon mon-oxide: (1) the pulse, (2) the blood pressure, (3) the number of respirations per minute, (4) the volume of air respired per minute; in twelve experiments: (1) the physical symptoms, (2) the point of onset of coma, (3) the point of death.