The relation between the phosphate in blood and urine

Abstract

No experiments appear to have been made on the changes which occur in the blood of man after the ingestion of phosphate. In experiments on the dog, Denis (1) has shown that after administration of phosphate amounting to 260 mgms. P/kilo weight, there is no detectable change in the phosphate of the blood, although, the increased excretion of phosphorus in the urine indicates that much of the salt has been absorbed. This was attributed to rapid excretion by the kidney. Very little is known of the excretion of phosphorus by the human kidney. The relation between the concentration in the blood and the urinary excretion when associated with either an acidosis or an alkalosis is described by Haldane, Wigglesworth and Woodrow (16). The present investigation was carried out mainly to determine the response of the kidney to a simple increase in the concentration of phosphate in the blood uncomplicated by reaction changes. We have further investigated the question of the distribution of inorganic phosphate between the plasma and the corpuscles of the blood; under normal conditions and also after phosphate ingestion. Some experiments have also been made to determine whether it is possible to increase the normal organic store of phosphorus in the blood by administration of the inorganic salt.