Inorganic Serum Sulphates in Renal Insufficiency

The paucity of knowledge concerning sulphate constituents of the blood probably is due to the fact that methods have not been available which could be used because the quantities of blood required for gravimetric or volumetric procedures were impracticable. During the last few years, however, several so-called microchemical methods have been described. Noteworthy of these methods are the nephlometric method of Denis,1the colorimetric method of Hubbard,2the gravimetric method of Loeb and Benedict3and the volumetric method of White.4The latter is a modification of Fiske's5volumetric method for determining urinary sulphates. In recent years several investigators have determined blood sulphates in normal and in various pathologic conditions. Normal sulphate values do not compare very well, as is shown in table 1. One of the factors which might cause disparity of results is that a different method was used in each instance. Blood sulphates in normal and in various