%*J3&£8£;}  Data  on  Gum  Chicle.  513 
markably  uniform  (6  parts  per  thousand).  So  closely  is  this  rule 
observed  that  with  food  containing  an  excess  of  sodium  chloride,  the 
latter  is  quickly  eliminated  by  the  urine,  and  with  food  poor  in 
chlorides,  the  volume  of  blood  first  decreases,  but  increases  after 
taking  chlorides  from  the  tissues.  The  secretion  of  chlorides  by  the 
urine  is  correspondingly  diminished. 
May  it  not  be  that  the  alkalies  of  the  blood  perform  important 
physical  functions,  especially  the  difficultly-diffusible  alkalies  of  the 
blood-proteids  ?  A  solution  of  sodium  carbonate  in  water  will  absorb 
and  unite  with  41*5  per  cent,  of  carbon  dioxide,  forming  sodium  acid 
carbonate ;  and  sodium  phosphate,  being  an  alkaline  salt,  may  act 
in  a  parallel  manner,  and  it  is  possible  that  these  compounds  act  par- 
tially or  wholly  as  reservoirs  for  the  carbonic  acid  gas  of  blood.  All 
foods  contain  inorganic  compounds  of  no  potential  value  as  foods, 
but  of  paramount  importance  in  tissue-metabolism.  The  presence 
of  chlorides  in  the  blood-serum,  of  iron  in  the  red  corpuscles,  of 
phosphorus  in  nerve  structure,  and  of  sulphur  in  proteids,  afford 
striking  examples  of  this  law. 
The  hemo-alkalimeter  of  Dr.  Dare  does  not  differentiate  between 
the  kind  sand  proportions  of  blood  alkalies.  It  is  not  perfect,  nor 
is  perfection  claimed  for  it ;  but  its  application  is  certainly  a  step 
forward  toward  greater  accuracy,  and  an  improvement  over  the 
older  methods  of  direct  titration  with  acid  and  chemical  indicators, 
or  of  titration  with  an  excess  of  acid  and  then  titration  back  with  an 
alkali,  or  of  adding  alkali  in  sufficient  quantity  and  then  titrating 
back  with  an  acid,  or  of  dialysis  and  subsequent  titration. 
Laboratory  of  Smith,  Kline  and  French  Co., 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 
SOME  DATA  ON  GUM  CHICLE. 
By  Frank  O.  Taylor. 
Having  occasion  recently  to  make  an  examination  of  a  sample  of 
gum  chicle,  a  search  through  literature  for  twenty  years  back  re- 
vealed the  fact  that  practically  no  data  is  to  be  found  on  this 
Sodium  chloride   9  gms. 
Calcium  chloride   0.26  gm, 
Potassium  chloride   o'i  gm. 
Distilled  water  sufficient  to  make  i,ooc  gms. 
Dr.  Aloysius  O.  J.  Kelly,  editor  of  the  International  Clinics,  tells  me  that 
he  used  this  solution,  but  employs  one  containing  only  075  per  cent,  of  NaCl. 
