72 



Scientific Proceedings (iio). 



34 (1616) 



The potassium content of normal and some pathological human 



bloods. 



By Victor C. Myers and James J. Short. 



[From the Laboratory of Pathological Chemistry, New York Post- 

 Graduate Medical School and Hospital.] 



Our interest in the potassium content of human blood was 

 aroused some time ago by the observation of Smillie 1 that poisoning 

 may result from the administration of potassium salts to nephritic 

 patients, and later confirmed in experimental uranium nephritis. 



Observations on the potassium content of serum and whole 

 blood have been made in fifteen cases, including four normal 

 subjects, several cases of nephritis with marked nitrogen retention 

 and a few miscellaneous cases. The potassium estimation was 

 carried out by the cobaltinitrite method of Drushel essentially as 

 described by Myers 2 in 1909 for spinal fluid. 



The results obtained for serum in the four normal cases were 

 somewhat less than 20 mg. per 100 c.c. calculated as K, and for 

 whole blood about 8 to 10 times this amount. In five cases of 

 nephritis with marked nitrogen retention the figures for the serum 

 varied from 10 to 19 mg., in one mild case the potassium was 28 

 mg. while in a case of double polycystic kidney 35 mg. were found. 

 The potassium content of the whole blood in these cases ranged 

 from 52 to 148 mg. with an average of 100 mg. per 100 c.c. In 

 all of these cases there was an associated secondary anemia and 

 the total solids were diminished. No significant variation was 

 found in a case of pure hypertension or a case of diabetic coma. 

 Figures obtained for whole blood in two cases of pernicious anemia 

 were low owing to the diminution in the red cell content. 



In general the potassium content of whole blood tends to 

 vary directly with the red cell content and the percentage of total 

 solids. The few observations reported on cases of nephritis with 

 marked nitrogen retention do not appear to support the suggestion 

 that possibly some of the symptoms of uremia are due to a potas- 

 sium poisoning as a result of retention of this element. Serum 



1 Smillie, Arch. Int. Med., 1915, xvi, 330. 

 1 Myers, Jour. Biol. Chem., 1909, vi, 115. 



