Determination of Total Blood Volume in the Cockroach, P. Fuliginosa, with Special Reference to Method

Abstract

In many types of experimental work, especially those involving toxic or anesthetic effects of injected or absorbed materials upon animals it is desirable to have some knowledge of the extent to which the materials become diluted by the circulating blood. This necessitates a knowledge of total blood volume. The present paper is a report of the determination of total blood volume in the cockroach, Periplaneta fuliginosa Serville, by two different methods, one of which is a modification of a dilution method already employed in connection with problems relating to man and the mammals generally; the other is a modification of a direct method already in use for the determination of blood volume in insect larvae. An attempt is made to evaluate at least approximately the magnitude of the experimental errors of the dilution method.