The introduction of microchemical methods into the laboratories of hospitals has made available a fertile field for scientific investigation which has been attended by notable progress in the knowledge concerning many of the fundamental processes of life. This has been particularly true in regard to carbohydrate metabolism, and, while an increased content of blood sugar has been a familiar clinical phenomenon, the introduction of insulin therapy has focused attention on the hypoglycemic condition—a condition more frequent than was formerly supposed.
The present work was started some time ago as a study of the chemical constituents of the blood at death and one hour after death. The purpose of the investigation was to study the value of postmortem blood chemistry, particularly in cases in which an autopsy is not obtainable, and to study the chemical changes that might take place in the blood constituents during the hour immediately following death. Especial