BY H. S. HALCRO WARDLAW. 



523 



Table ii. 



Change of reaction produced by addition of 2 volumes of 0-0196N 

 HC1 to 1 volume of C0 2 free oxalate plasma from blood in pneumonic 

 influenza. 





The above figures show that in the samples examined the 

 acidity of the C0 2 free oxalate plasma ranged from pH 8.93 to 

 pH 7.98 (1.17 X 10 " 9 N to 10.5 X 10" 9 N). After the ad- 

 dition of HC1, the acidity ranged from pH 5.44 to pH 4.90 



(3. 63 X 10 " 6 N to 12.6 X 10 " 6 N). The change of reaction 

 <-aused by the addition of the acid varied from pH 3.97 to pH 

 2.97, that is, the acidity was increased from approximately 1000 

 to 10,000 times by the addition of the hydrochloric acid. The 

 averages of the values for pH in the table before and after the 

 addition of acid are 8.54 and 5.09 respectively. The variations 

 of the individual results from these averages lie between tiro 

 limits within which the results for normal plasma vary according 

 to the figures given by Cullen (loc. cit.). These figures, there- 

 fore, show no abnormalities from which any conclusion may be 

 drawn . In particular, they give no indication of a decreased 

 alkaline reserve; the degree of acidity produced by the addition 

 of a given amount of hydrochloric acid is not definitely greater 

 than would be produced in normal plasma, and no evidence 

 exists for the presence of acid products of intermediate meta- 

 bolism (acidosis) which would be the result of a deficient oxygen- 

 ation of the blood. These results are what would be expected 

 from the values obtained for the oxygen capacity and satura- 

 tion of these samples of blood. Here again, however, attention 

 must be called to the paucity of normal figures for comparison. 



