Capillary Poisons and Acidosis

INTRODUCTION In his admirable review of the functional activity of the capillaries and venules, Hooker¹brings out the facts that these structures change in caliber independently of the larger vessels, that they function actively and are responsive to both chemical and nervous influences. He pictures a nervous control, maintaining a tone of the capillary beds over the body as a whole, and a chemical regulation, usually local in character and effective according to the passing need of particular tissues. As Hooker points out the story of capillary function is far from complete. What facts are known have to do with contraction and dilatation, and the question of capillary permeability is practically untouched. In an ultimate analysis, the function of the capillaries is to allow of the passage of oxygen and nutriment from the blood to tissues and the removal of waste products from tissues to the blood. A physiologic permeability