Abstract
In a report made last year 1 on acid base metabolism in infants, a method was proposed for measuring the retention or the loss of alkali in the body. The method consists in determining the equilibrium or balance of all the acid and basic radicals. The values are computed in terms of normal solutions and the excess of base retention or excretion can then be stated in terms which are a common denominator for all of the elements in mineral metabolism. It is necessary to determine the acids and bases in the food, urine and feces. The results calculated in terms of normal solutions are then totaled.
By suitable methods of titrating the urine and stools, approximately the same values are obtained as by the method of analyzing the individual elements. The work will be reported in extenso in a forthcoming number of the American Journal of the diseases of Children, including methods and protocols.
The metabolism experiments show that for an infant, A, weighing 9 kilos, and one, B, weighing 51/2 kilos, fed on cow's milk, water and sugar, the positive base balance, as shown in the accompanying figure, was 98 c.c. 0.1N alkali in excess of acid and 64 c.c. 0.1N alkali in excess of acid. Calculated on the basis of alkali retained per kilogram of body weight, this equals 11 c.c. O.1N alkali retained per day in both cases.
A recalculation of the available data in the literature confirms our results. This appears to be a very large amount of base retention per day. However, when the values are computed it is found that of this alkali retained, 2 c.c. is required for the protein increase, 4 c.c. for the alkali reserve and about 57 c.c., by far the greatest part, for the building of bone.
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