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Society Proceedings (122). 



concentration was only slightly and what we considered insignifi- 

 cantly raised. Finally, Dr. Green wald, who was good enough to 

 analyze specimens from three of our dogs, showed that there was 

 no consistent change in the percentage of sodium. 



The analyses to be reported, indicate that the changes noted 

 in dogs may occur in humans as well. 



Subjects with a carbon -dioxide tension of 70 vols, per cent, or 

 over were considered abnormal and included in the group. In 

 the chloride estimations anything below 5.5 grams per liter for 

 plasma or 4.3 grams per liter for whole blood was deemed patho- 

 logical. 



In all, we studied seven cases; three of them had obstructions 

 at or near the pylorus from ulcer, and two from cancer; one man 

 had subacute gastric dilatation following appendectomy, and the 

 seventh member of the group had an annular carcinoma of the 

 lower jejunum. All cases were associated with inordinate vomit- 

 ing, four days to two months in duration. In a few cases gastric 

 lavage was practised, a procedure which probably aggravated 

 the condition. 



The abnormal values varied from 70 to 107 vols, per cent. 

 In the three cases which showed tetany, the highest figures were 

 respectively 103, 104 and 107 vols, per cent. The chloride values 

 varied from 4.5 to 2.2 for whole blood and 5.1 to 3.7 for plasma. 

 In several cases there was an accompanying rise of urea. 



In two cases, dilute solutions of hydrochloric acid were given 

 intravenously with a resultant decrease in the C0 2 tension. In 

 the last case, 500 c.c. of 0.1 N HC1 was combined with 500 c.c. 

 of physiological salt solution as an infusion without apparent 

 deleterious effects. 



These findings indicate then that persistent vomiting, in all 

 our cases the result of high obstruction of the alimentary canal, 

 will result in an increased bicarbonate and decreased chloride 

 content of the blood. This is undoubtedly due to the loss of 

 hydrochloric acid from the stomach. 



The cause of the tetany is not known definitely. Dr. Van 

 Slyke 4 in a recent article stated that uncompensated alkalosis was 

 a cause of tetany. Some of our findings suggest that this is 

 4 Van Slyke, D. D. /. Biol. Chem., 1921, xlviii, 153. 



