ACIDOSIS 355 



venes in which there is acetone in the breath, and 

 diacetic acid in the urine a true acidosis. 



The assumption that postoperative hyperthyroidism 

 is a true acidosis explains also why it is that just be- 

 fore death in fatal cases of Graves' disease the tempera- 

 ture may rise as high as 107, 108 and even 109 degrees. 

 It is because the long period of relative acidosis before 

 the operation together with the increased acidity result- 

 ing from the operation, has taken away from the body 

 the safe margin of neutralizing bases and alkalies and 

 therefore the neutralizing bases in the living protein 

 molecules are seized by the acids. This chemical process 

 of breaking down the living protein molecules liberates 

 heat. This heat is the chief cause of the rise in tem- 

 perature before death. We know that when the tem- 

 perature rapidly rises after a period of acidosis the 

 living molecules are breaking down and the end is 

 near. 



Summary 



The establishment in the body of so powerful a group 

 of organs and mechanisms for the elimination of the 

 acid by-products of energy transformation shows how 

 vitally necessary is the maintenance of the normal 

 slightly alkaline reaction of the body. This indicates 

 that acidosis is a factor in many diseases acute and 

 chronic and that the centers in the medulla are 

 stimulated by acidosis while the higher centers are de- 

 pressed ; it suggests an explanation of the phenomena 

 of anesthesia, and that the ultimate cause of death 

 is usually acidosis. (Figs. 86, 87, 88.) 



