The Concept of Conservation and Transformation of Energy and Venous Blood Colour: An Invention by Robert Mayer

Robert Mayer, a physician, first put forth the concept of energy transformation and conservation in the nineteenth century. This concept was inspired by a medical observation. The medical community questioned whether Mayer had actually observed what he claimed and used as the foundation for the principle of energy conservation, which is that if the colour of venous blood in the tropics is lighter than in colder regions, then this is a result of a higher oxygen consumption to maintain body temperature. This question was raised during the first century's celebrations. In this research, it is demonstrated that this finding could have actually happened, but for a different cause, based on Mayer's data and current physiology.