DIVERSE COMPONENTS 



347 



The concentration in the blood being taken as such, whatever its 

 relation to that in the whole body, I relate the rate of disappearance 

 to load (fig. 174). In the first half -hour, the disposal seems to be 

 nearly proportional to the mean concentration present. The ratio 

 of net rate to load (velocity quotient) that prevails in recovery from 

 autogenous lactate of physical exercise (see also Newman et al., 

 '37), has the same value as in recovery from injected lactate. 



In each unit of time during recovery, the amount of lactate dis- 

 sipated may be compared with the amount of oxygen consumed 



Hours 

 Fig. 173. Lactic acid load in relation to time. Man. Sodium lactate is injected 

 by vein during the initial 0.1 hour. The excess lactic acid present in the blood is the 

 upper curve. Excess oxygen consumption indicates the total amount of lactate oxidized. 

 The 12 individuals are assumed to weigh 70 kg. each. On this basis the concentration in 

 the blood is much greater than in the body. Data of Dietrich and Zeyen ('32). 



(fig. 173, and Margaria et al., '33, etc.). Eatios of the two rates are 

 here far from constant ; possibly constancy cannot be expected in the 

 presence of rapidly changing contents. While lactate disposal 

 is at approximately the same rate after exercise and after injection, 

 the oxygen consumption after exercise is in higher proportion and 

 preponderantly earlier. 



No information seems to be available to indicate separable paths 

 of recovery from deficit of lactate. Recovery of the whole body 

 may be by slow accumulation, such as occurred for carbon dioxide, 

 or it may involve faster production. Nothing appears to be known 



