OXYGEN AND CARBON DIOXIDE CONTENTS OF ARTERIAL AND VENOUS BLOOD OF SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS

That schizophrenia is a disease primarily due to disturbances of organic, as opposed to psychologic, functions has frequently been postulated. Two of the chief theories proposed to explain this disorder are, first, that the distortion of function is due to the presence of toxic substances, and, second, that the trouble arises from deficient oxidation in the cells of the body and especially in those of the brain. This paper is concerned with the second of these theories. Previous investigations have indicated that the oxygen consumption in schizophrenic patients is significantly lower than that in normal subjects—a finding that is presumptive evidence in support of the second theory. 1 As part of the program of study of the organic functions in schizophrenia, the gases of both arterial and venous blood were determined by the manometric method of Van Slyke. The data recorded here were obtained by combining the earlier material obtained