298 



EDEMA 



TABLE IV. 



The very high figures for effusions in nephritis and cardiac 

 incompetence indicate the concentration of crystalloids in these 

 fluids, and support the belief that in the formation of both, 

 osmotic pressure is an important factor. 1 



Edematous fluids are usually alkaline except when bacterial 

 changes lead to acid formation. Bodon 2 found, however, that 

 while they contain alkali that can be neutralized by titration 

 against acids, yet they resemble the blood in being neutral as 

 far as the presence of free OH ions is concerned. 



Proteid Contents. As indicated in the tables given 

 previously, these vary greatly in quantity in various fluids 3 ; 

 the quantitative relations of the different varieties of proteids 

 have been less studied. Serum-albumins and globulins constitute 

 by far the largest part of the proteids, fibrinogen being scanty 

 except in some inflammatory exudates, so that coagulation very 



1 Meyer and His (Deut. Arch. klin. Med., 1905 (85), 149) claim that the 

 lowering of the freezing-point is less than that of the blood in exudates while 

 forming, the same as the blood while stationary, and greater during absorption, 

 which they consider indicates a " vital process" on the part of the cells. 



2 Loc. cit. 



3 See also v. Jaksch, Zeit. klin. Med., 1893 (23), 225 ; Kzentkowski (he. cit.}. 



