How did Claude Bernard’s experiments explain carbon monoxide poisoning?

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The French physiologist Claude Bernard conducted significant research into the physiological effects of various substances, including carbon monoxide.

Through his experiments, Bernard demonstrated that carbon monoxide acts as a poison by substituting for oxygen in the blood. He discovered that the gas combines with hemoglobin, the body's oxygen-carrying substance, which effectively prevents the blood from transporting necessary oxygen to tissues, leading to oxygen starvation. This work provided a foundational understanding of the mechanism behind carbon monoxide poisoning, which is now known to involve the formation of a stable compound called carboxyhemoglobin.12