CHAPTER XIV 



TRANSFORMATION OF ENERGY AND ACIDOSIS 



THE blood of man, under normal conditions, is 

 slightly alkaline with a hydrogen-ion concentration of 

 about 7.56 in terms of Sorenson's logarithmic notation. 

 But although in circulating blood the H-ion concen- 

 tration upon which the amount of acidity depends is 

 little more than that of distilled water, the blood is 

 potentially much more alkaline than water, being 

 able to neutralize a considerable amount of acid. At 

 the time of death, from whatever cause, the con- 

 centration of H-ions in the blood is increased, the 

 potential or actual alkalinity is decreased, and the 

 blood becomes, in fact, neutral or acid. In order to 

 discover what conditions tend to diminish the normal 

 alkalinity of the blood, observations were made for 

 me in my laboratory by Dr. M. L. Menten, Dr. 

 W. J. Crozier, Dr. W. B. Rogers and Dr. B. I. 

 Harrison, using electrical and chemical methods for 

 determining the H-ion concentration of the blood 

 under certain pathologic and physiologic conditions. 

 As a result of these researches we are able to state 

 that the H-ion concentration of the blood is increased 

 by excessive muscular activity; by excessive emotional 

 activation; by surgical shock ; by asphyxia; in strychnin 

 convulsions; by inhalation anesthetics; in the late state* 

 of life after excision of the pancreas, of the liver and 



340 



