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The quantity of nitrifying organism present has also a marked effect. A solution receiving an abundant supply of the ferment will exhibit speedy nitrification, and strong solutions may by this means be successfully nitrified, which with small seedings would prove very refractory. The rapidity of nitrification also depends on the degree of alkalinity of the solution.
In the building and maintaining of the body, mineral salts serve three purposes to give rigidity and permanence to the skeleton, to form an essential element of active tissue, and to provide the required alkalinity or acidity for the digestive juices and other secretions. The origin and distribution of these mineral substances are of interest.
At the time of death, whatever its cause, the concentration of H-ions in the blood increases, the concentration of H-ions being a measure of acidity, that is, the potential or actual alkalinity decreases and the blood becomes actually neutral or acid. To determine what conditions tend to diminish the normal alkalinity of the blood, many observations were made for me in my laboratory by Dr.
Milk in a fresh state is slightly alkaline; and it is a very curious circumstance, but this very slight degree of alkalinity seems to have the effect of preserving the organisms which fall into it from the air from being destroyed at a temperature of 212 degrees, which is the boiling point.
Therefore in a disease like rheumatism, which seems to be made worse by anything which increases the acidity, alkalies are obviously indicated, and it is probable that an increased alkalinity of the blood tends to prevent endocardial irritation, and may soothe an inflammation already present.
If, however, morphin was administered after increased acidity had been produced by any stimulus, or by inhalation anesthesia, then the time required for the restoration of the normal alkalinity was much prolonged, and in some instances the power of acid neutralization was permanently lost.
Bicarbonate of soda is one of these acid salts, but so feeble is carbonic acid in its acid properties and practical evidences, that we shall see both monocarbonate or "neutral" carbonate of soda and bicarbonate or "acid" carbonate of soda show evidences of, or, as chemists say, react with alkalinity towards litmus.
Gradually, however, the blood regains its alkalinity and its acid-dissolving power and enough of the acid deposits are reabsorbed by the circulation to cause a return of the symptoms of collaemia. Then arises a craving for more alcohol, coffee, tea, nicotine or xanthine-producing foods in order to again obtain temporary relief and stimulation, and so on, ad infinitum.
After a period of rest, that is, when no uric acid-or xanthine-producing foods have been taken for some time, say, overnight, the blood regains its alkalinity and its capacity for dissolving and carrying uric acid and begins to reabsorb it from the tissues. As a consequence, the blood becomes again saturated with uric acid and the collaemic symptoms reappear.
Since alkalis and bases preponderate in ingested food; since alkalinity of the blood is diminished by bodily activity; and since at the point of death the blood is always acid, we may infer that some mechanism or mechanisms of the body were evolved for the purpose of changing bases into acids that thus energy might be liberated.
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