PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY 

 IN MODERN MEDICINE 



PART I 



THE PHYSICOCHEMICAL BASIS OF PHYSIOLOGICAL 



PROCESSES 



CHAPTER I 

 GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 



The work of the physiologist consists, in large part, in ascertaining to 

 what extent the known laws of physics and chemistry find application 

 in explaining the phenomena of life. He gathers from the vast store- 

 house of physical and chemical knowledge whatever is of value in the 

 interpretation of the various mechanisms that work together to com- 

 pose the living machine, and having added to this knowledge he passes 

 it on for use by those who are concerned in the study and treatment of 

 disease. 



Many of the most important steps in the advance of physiological 

 knowledge in recent years have depended upon the discovery of some 

 hitherto unknown physical or chemical law, or upon the elaboration of 

 some accurate method for the measurement of the phenomena upon 

 which these or previously known laws depend. The discoveries of 

 van't Hoff, Arrhenius, and Ostw T ald of the so-called laws of solution 

 were soon followed by important observations on their relationship to 

 the movement of fluids and dissolved substances through cell mem- 

 branes; the discoveries of Hardy, Willard Gibbs, etc., of the behavior of 

 colloids and of the phenomena of surface tension found application in 

 explaining many hitherto inexplicable, peculiarities in the activities of 

 ferments; the discovery by Nernst, etc., of methods for the measurement 

 of the electro-motive force of dissolved substances was applied to de- 

 termine the actual reaction or hydrogen-ion concentration of animal 



