WATER AND SALT REQUIREMENTS IN HEALTH AND DISEASE

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Abstract
Salts and water of the body are inextricably bound in their interchange between organism and environment. This generalization applies particularly to sodium, potassium, chloride, bicarbonate, phosphate and protein, electrolytes which are the principal contributors to the pattern of intracellular and extracellular fluid. The exchange of these electrolytes and the exchange of water comprise the theme of this chapter. Several other electrolytes present in the human organism such as magnesium, calcium, lactate, iron, iodide and urate are osmotically unimportant for fluid balance and will not be discussed. The anatomy of body fluids, i. e. the structural compartments and the concentration of electrolytes, will be outlined first. It will be followed by an inquiry into the mechanism of the ingress of the several components into the body. The remainder of the review, which is proportionately longest, will be concerned with their egress from the body. It is deemed most appropriate in the