Management of diabetes : treatment by dietary regulation and the use of insulin a manual for physicians and nurses based on the course of instruction given at the Presbyterian Hospital, New York / by George A. Harrop, Jr.

  • Harrop, George A. (George Argale), 1890-1945.
Date:
1924
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Management of diabetes : treatment by dietary regulation and the use of insulin a manual for physicians and nurses based on the course of instruction given at the Presbyterian Hospital, New York / by George A. Harrop, Jr. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    other processes of metabolism and of great moment is its effect upon the metabolism of the fats, the defective burning of which is instrumental in the production of acidosis. In order to understand the treatment of this important complication of diabetes, a brief consideration of the acid base mechanism of the normal body is essential. Regulation of the Normal Acid-base Mech¬ anism. As is well known, the reaction of the blood and body tissues, which is dependent upon the hydrogen-ion concentration, is normally regu¬ lated with a high degree of constancy and within very narrow limits. Like the other physiological constants, for example, osmotic pressure and temperature, a constant hydrogen-ion concentra¬ tion is also probably indispensable for a multitude of the chemical reactions which take place during normal metabolism. The adjustment, which per¬ mits only an extremely small margin of variation, is accomplished by the presence of certain chemical substances, called buffers. These are the salts, chiefly sodium and potassium, of certain weak acids. Most important of these salts are phosphates and carbonates. However the proteins, and, more recently, hemoglobin, have also been shown to be important as buffers. The presence of buffers permits the taking up of considerable amounts of rather strong acids without changing the reaction appreciably. Normally the reaction in the body is not quite neutral, but is very slightly on the alkaline side.