Arcana naturae detecta

Human Red Blood Cells-1

“…Jan Swammerdam (1637-1680) was a Dutch naturalist and an expert microscopist. In 1658 Swammerdam documented small oval particles in frog's blood which were probably the first recorded observation of red blood cells [3,4,5]. Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) was a Dutch scientist who provided in 1674 a more precise microscopic description of red blood cells, approximating their size "25,000 times smaller than a fine grain of sand" [6,7,8,9].…”

“…At first one would expect the result to be a drop in pH to 6 Consequently, protons formed in the dissociation of H 2 CO 3 are accepted by the imidazole nitrogen of the haemoglobin. The net result of these two events is to maintain the pH essentially unchanged, and K + ions within the red blood cell, previously neutralized by oxyhaemoglobin, are now neutralized by the newly formed HCO 3 -ions. Similarly, in the lungs, where there is a diminishing P CO2 and increasing P O2 , the haemoglobin becomes oxygenated.…”

“…Thus plasma HCO 3 -moves into the red blood cell and combines with protons given up by dissociation of the newly formed oxygenated haemoglobin. The ratio of HCO 3 -to H 2 CO 3 which is normally 28 mEq/L to 1.4 mEq (20:1) [28]. Also, since HCO 3 -is much more soluble in blood plasma than CO 2 , the capacity of the blood to carry CO 2 from tissues to the lungs will therefore increase (Fig.7).…”

“…The HCO 3 -re-permeates the erythrocyte and converted by carbonic anhydrase to CO 2 that is released in the lungs and eventually exhaled. The effectiveness of this shuttle is directly proportional with the rapid movement of HCO 3 -across the red blood cell membrane which has to be achieved in the 300-600ms period for the red blood cell traverses the pulmonary circulation [57].…”

Investigations on the Fine Structure of Striated Muscle Fiber

“…M U S C L E T I S S U E has been the object of unremitting research since the initial era of histologic studies, the end of the 17th Century, when Hooke (58) and Loeuwenhoek (73) applied the recently invented microscope to the study of muscles, through to the end of the 18th Century, with the work of Fontana (32) and Proschaska (94), and right up to our own times. Scanning the history of science, we see how keen has been the animus to investigate the structure of contractile elements in the hope of discovering the secret mechanism of the most important phenomenon of animal life--movement !…”