MINERAL METABOLISM 



315 



there is evidence that loss of salt through excessive perspiration leads to 

 hypoacidity (Cohnheim and Kreglinger). 



Work by Frouin and Gerard on a dog with Pawlow stomach may bear 

 upon this. Having usually received 10 g. NaCl daily, the dog was re- 

 duced to a salt-free diet of 200 g. rice and 700 g. horse meat cooked in 

 water with the following results : 



which are striking for the constancy of the total chlorid content and the 

 decreased acidity of the secretion with -lack of NaCl in food. The ingestion 

 of a chlorid, whether NaCl, KC1 or CaCl 2 brought the quantity, acidity 

 and concentration of Na and K in the gastric juice back to normal. Batke 

 found a similar decreased gastric acidity in salt hunger. 



Since ingestion of acids causes loss of alkalies from the body the Na 

 and K elimination in hypo- and hyperchlorhydria has been the subject of 

 some investigation, and has been found to be unaffected by such gastric 

 disturbances (Secchi(6)). Blood chlorid in hypoacidity may be higher 

 than in hyperacidity (Arnoldi(a), Strauss(c), Veil). However, in dis- 

 eased conditions which affect kidney permeability, notably in nephritis, 

 high blood chlorids usually occur and at the same time hyperchlorhydria 

 the stomach apparently taking on the excretory function which the kidney 

 has lost (Goyena and Petit; Crosa). 



Alkalies 



The alkali metals Na and K are present in all organs and tissues. 

 Those tissues having important functions, and which are rich in cells 

 have a higher ratio of K to Na than the tissues of conduction and support 

 or the body fluids but there is no absolute specificity between Na and K 

 in any organ, and the blood alone, of all the tissues and fluids, conserves 

 its ratio of Na : K in spite of regime or food. The ratio of K : Na is 

 highest in the vertebrates and is normally about 2l/> : 1. 



This difference between the quantities of Na and K in the body is 

 reflected in most foods especially in milk and vegetables, and in infancy 

 the retention is in approximately the same ratio as the occurrence in human 

 milk (Cronheim and Miiller(c), Meyer(&)). In the usual mixed 

 diet the ration of Na : K is reversed, because of the addition of NaCl 



