38 PHYSICOCHEMICAL BASIS OP PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESSES 



of acids such as carbonic, phosphoric, lactic, and sulphuric, and of 

 alkalies such as ammonia. Amphoteric substances, like amino acids and 

 proteins, may functionate either as acids or as alkalies. Whatever may 

 be its source, a considerable reserve of alkali is undoubtedly available 

 in the animal organism. This required store of alkali appears to be 

 automatically liberated as a result of the physicochemical process. 



The removal is affected by three pathways: (1) through the lungs 

 gaseous carbonic acid is eliminated; (2) through the kidneys, the fixed 

 acids; and (3) through the intestines, some of the phosphoric acid. 



Carbonic acid is produced in large amounts in the normal process of 

 metabolism, and is excreted in a gaseous condition by the lungs. Varia- 

 tion in its excretion is the most important mechanism for controlling 

 temporary eliavges in C H - In order to make this clear, it may be well to 

 revert for a moment to the physicochemical equation by which carbonic 

 acid is enabled to maintain neutrality. This may be written: C H = 



rr rtr\ 



molecular ratio ^ tmA • The ratio may be increased either bv adding 

 J\arlL(J 3 



fi'ce carbonic acid to the blood (as by causing an animal to respire some 

 of the gas), or by the addition of some other acid (e. g., oxybutyric, as in 

 diabetes) which will decompose some of the NaHC0 3 and produce 

 H 2 C0 3 . The increase which these changes would cause in G H of the 

 blood is prevented by the remarkable sensitivity of the respiratory cen- 

 ter to changes in C H . An increase which is much less than can be 

 measured by physicochemical means stimulates the center, causing in- 

 creased pulmonary ventilation, so that the carbonic acid is immediately 

 eliminated through the lungs. This elimination does not stop when the 



old level of carbonic-acid concentration is reached, but proceeds until 



"FT CO 



the original ratio tt * is again attained in the blood, and C H is 



NaHC (J?. 



restored exactly to its original value. If it stopped at the old C0 2 con- 

 centration, the ratio would be too high because there is less NaHCO,. 



THE THEORY OF ACIDOSIS 



Although these considerations indicate that variations may occur in 

 the bicarbonate content of the blood without any significant change in 

 Ch, they also show that the bicarbonate content must be a criterion of 

 the acid-base balance of the blood, and probably of the body fluids in 

 general. As pointed out by Van Slykc, 12 bicarbonate represents the ex- 

 cess of base which is left over after all the fi.rrel acids have been neu- 

 tralized. It represents the base that is available for the neutralization of 

 any excess (.)' such acids that may appear — a measure of the reserve of 

 "buffer substance" or, more specifically, the alkaline reserve of the body. 



