Physiologic Mechanisms in Potassium Deficiency

ALTHOUGH the older medical literature contains sporadic references to the importance of potassium in certain clinical conditions (as pointed out in the historical review by Gamble1) the modern realization of its importance may be considered to have started with the study of experimental potassium depletion by Heppel.2 Progress followed rapidly with the studies by Darrow and his associates.3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 After their extensive experimental characterization of potassium depletion in rats, Darrow11 demonstrated by repletion studies the importance of potassium deficits in the mortality of infantile diarrhea. Since these early studies many important contributions have been made both to an understanding of . . .