52 



Scientific Proceedings (63). 



suffering from this condition according to the method described 

 by Sellards which consists in evaporating to dryness, with phenol- 

 phthalein, the blood serum from which the proteins have been 

 removed by absolute alcohol. A colorless residue indicates an 

 almost complete absence of carbonates from the blood. Marked 

 cases of intoxication show the carbonates to be very greatly 

 reduced in every single instance. In mild cases this is not found 

 to be the case. 



Sellards' other method of determining acidosis, — that is, 

 proving a great tolerance to alkali before the urine becomes al- 

 kaline, is also striking with these children. 



As a more delicate test we have determined the carbon dioxide 

 in the alveolar air. This has never before been determined in 

 infants or young children. It is obvious that the Plesch method, 

 or the rebreathing of air from a bag, is the only available method 

 with infants. The Haldane or the Krogh-Lindhard methods that 

 require either cooperation on the part of the patient or slow breath- 

 ing are impossible. It is a matter of indifference whether we 

 obtain the true alveolar air or not, so long as we obtain figures 

 which with the individual patients are constant and so long as 

 they fall within reasonable limits with a group of normal patients. 



Normal 





COi Mm. 





COi Mm. 





COj Mm. 



I 



44.6 



VII 



44-7 



XIV 



38.4 



II 



43-5 



VIII 



41.0 



XIV 



40.4 



III 



44-5 



IX 



39-0 



XIV 



38.4 



III 



44-3 



IX 



38.0 



XV 



40.4 



III 



44-5 



IX 



38.2 



XVI 



413 



IV 



39-0 



X 



38.9 



XVI 



39-6 



IV 



38.4 



XI 



40.3 



XVI 



40.0 



V 



40.2 



XII 



39-6 



XVII 



39-8 



V 



43-6 



XII 



41.7 



XVIII 



39-6 



VI 



40.8 



XII 



42.2 



XVIII 



38.7 



VI 



435 



XIII 



43-4 



XIX 



41.0 



We have found that if a known amount of air is rebreathed for 

 between 28 and 32 seconds and if the respirations are deep and the 

 bag has been well ventilated, that we obtain results from day to 

 day which differ very slightly. We have found that with children 

 that are nearly normal the results are very close to those that 

 Peabody found for adults, that is, that the extreme limits for the 



