The Distribution and Movement of Water and Solutes in the Human Body *

In the course of analysis of data dealing with water and salt balances and serum electrolyte equilibria, it became apparent that certain assumptions and deductions concerning the distribution of electrolytes within the body and the forces which determined this distribution, as well as the exchanges of salt within the body and between the body and its environment, required examination. It seemed necessary, first, not only to inquire into the reasonableness of the assumptions, but also to see how far they were supported by the available factual knowledge. In the second place, it seemed advisable to learn how far these assumptions, emanating from various sources, could be welded into a reasonable hypothesis. Third, there was good reason to hope that collection and arrangement of the assumptions and deductions would reveal implications of importance which had hitherto escaped attention and perhaps render more intelligible phenomena which seemed incomprehensible. Finally, by identifying the gaps in present knowledge in proper relation to the more or less completed chapters, future efforts might be directed more intelligently. The present paper embodies the main features of such an examination conducted by the author for his own edification and submitted for publication because it has intrigued certain others who have seen it. It is obviously not a review, because it begins with assumptions and the material with which it deals is largely speculative. Although the attempt has been made not to allow preconceptions to eliminate critical treatment entirely, objections to the general theoretical structure have been recognized only when they seemed of compelling importance. The bibliography is incomplete and the works cited are not selected so much for their importance as for their relevance to certain points, usually of a controversial nature.