PHYSIOLOGICAL ONTOGENY

Abstract

We have studied by means of glass electrodes the hydrogen ion concentration of the blood of chicken embryos from 8 to 20 days. When plotted as a curve, the average data show that a constant change takes place in the measurement, being acid at the beginning of this period and becoming alkaline toward its end. The acid reaction we think was characteristic not only of the embryos of fowl, but of the fetuses of cats and indeed as Warburg has shown of rapidly growing tissue in general. We have suggested the possibility, though we have no data to substantiate the suggestion, that the hydrogen ion concentration may under conditions like these, seeing that the curve of change resembles that of oxygen consumption, be expressive of changes in the rate of metabolism.