  We have used the Arecibo telescope to measure the HI absorption spectra of
eight pulsars. We show how kinematic distance measurements depend upon the
values of the galactic constants R_o and Theta_o, and we select our preferred
current values from the literature. We then derive kinematic distances for the
low-latitude pulsars in our sample and electron densities along their lines of
sight. We combine these measurements with all others in the inner galactic
plane visible from Arecibo to study the electron density in this region. The
electron density in the interarm range 48 degrees < l < 70 degrees is [0.017
(-0.007,+0.012) (68% c.l.)] cm^(-3). This is 0.75 (-0.22,+0.49) (68% c.l.) of
the value calculated by the Cordes & Lazio (2002) galactic electron density
model. The model agrees more closely with electron density measurements toward
Arecibo pulsars lying closer to the galactic center, at 30 degrees<l<48
degrees. Our analysis leads to the best current estimate of the distance of the
relativistic binary pulsar B1913+16: d=(9.0 +/- 3) kpc.
  We use the high-latitude pulsars to search for small-scale structure in the
interstellar hydrogen observed in absorption over multiple epochs. PSR B0301+19
exhibited significant changes in its absorption spectrum over 22 yr, indicating
HI structure on a ~500 AU scale.
