Investigation of the lung flotation technique for determining pulmonary respiration in the Japanese quail

Abstract

A test of the lung flotation technique was made to confirm that pulmonary respiration had commenced in foetuses of the Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) which had reached a stage generally considered to indicate lung inflation. The foetuses were taken when they had begun to click and sacrificed in one of three ways—chilling, decapitation or by an overdose of chloroform. The three groups were dissected and compared for various criteria. The lung flotation technique was found to be a reliable indication of lung inflation only when using chloroform or decapitation.