The in vivo and in vitro buffer capacities of true plasma and tissue buffer capaciies were compared on dogs. Intracellular pH was determined on skeletal muscle by a modification of the method of Schloerb and Grantham using C<sup>14</sup> DMO. The in vivo curve for plasma or extracellular fluid has a much lower slope than the in vitro curve. The in vivo slope of skeletal muscle in the dog is approximately 20 sl. The slope for skeletal muscle in vivo falls between the in vitro and in vivo slopes of true plasma. It appears that intracellular hydrogen ion varies linearly with extracellular hydrogen ion when CO<sub>2</sub> tension is changed. Both hydrogen ion gradient and Hi/He ratio vary in skeletal muscle, with an increase in CO<sub>2</sub> tension. Infusion of 0.3N HCl gave two distinct patterns, the H<sub>i</sub>-H<sub>e</sub> gradient decreased; and it would appear that very little hydrogen ion as such penetrated to the inside of the cells during the time of observation. Although lactic acid presumably enters the cell and the same of larger load was given as was used for hydrochloric acid, only very mild intracellular acidosis resulted, ostensibly due to metabolism of this substrate. Gluconic acid produced a more severe acidosis, both intracellularly and extracellularly, but with both of these acids the hydrogen ion gradient decreased and the H<sub>i</sub>-H<sub>e</sub> ratio also decreased. The experiments on the dogs with hemorrhagic shock the hydrogen ion increase producing the acidosis originates inside the cells. Even so, the hydrogen ion gradient increased only very slightly in the acute experiments. This may suggest that even over short intervals of time skeletal muscle cells have a capacity to pump out hydrogen ions at a rate which maintains approximately the normal H<sub>i</sub>-H<sub>e</sub> gradient when the source of the hydrogen ion is in the interior of the cell.