THE CLASSICAL STRUCTURE OF BLOOD BIOCHEMISTRY-A MATHEMATICAL MODEL

The mathematical simulation of human blood biochemistry includes the results of detailed chemical analysis of human blood under a variety of chemical stresses. Mathematical simulations of increasing degrees of complexity are developed. A rudimentary blood model assumes the conventional roles of the fixed proteins, the neutral electrostatic charge constraints, and the active cation pump as the major characteristics of hemostatic blood. The microscopic properties of the proteins, particularly their buffering behavior, are incorporated into the model by a mathematical procedure that assumes that the serum albumin and the various globulins represent all of the important buffering power of the plasma fraction. A model of the respiratory biochemistry of the blood, embodying the results of the previous biochemical structural detail, is tested under various conditions. Properties of the mathematical model, such as gas exchange, buffering, and response to chemical stress in the steady state, are practically indistinguishable from those properties of real blood within the limits of the present validation program.