This essay looks at the historical significance of two APS classic papers that are freely available online: Pitts RF and Alexander RS. The nature of the renal tubular mechanism for acidifying the urine. Am J Physiol 144: 239-254, 1945 (http://ajplegacy.physiology.org/cgi/reprint/144/2/239). Pitts RF and Lotspeich WD. Bicarbonate and the renal regulation of acid base balance. Am J Physiol 147: 1...

Pan African Medical Journal. 2016; 24:147 doi:10.11604/pamj.2016.24.147.9839 This article is available online at: http://www.panafrican-med-journal.com/content/article/24/147/full/ © Ben Slama Sana et al. The Pan African Medical Journal ISSN 1937-8688. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2...