Human blood, as it exists in the body, is faintly alkaline in reaction : that is, it has a hydrogen-ion concentration only slightly less than that of pure water, and this degree of alkalinity tends to be maintained even when considerable quantities of acid are produced within the body, or are introduced from without.
To a relative increase in the acid content of the body, the term "acidosis" is applied. Acidosis, conceivably, may be brought about in other ways than those just mentioned—for example, by decreased excretion of acid or by loss of bases from the body. The condition has been recognized in a variety of ways, such as increase in the ammonia coefficient of the urine, decrease of carbon dioxid tension in the alveolar air, the finding of abnormal acids in the blood and urine, by increased alkali tolerance and by diminished titratable alkalinity of the blood serum, by changes