Effects of Intravenous Injection of Suprarenal Extracts 67 



Considerable amounts of the extract can be taken into the stomach 

 without producing any immediate physiological result such as is caused by 

 intravenous injection. This is probably due to the fact that the active 

 material, although not destroyed by gastric juice, is absorbed but slowly 

 and becomes destroyed in the tissues as fast as it is absorbed. That 

 such destruction is readily produced is obvious from the fact that even 

 when large doses are injected into a vein the effects pass off within a few 

 minutes. Where the destruction is effected is not known, although it 

 has been conjectured that it may be in the tissues generally, especially 

 the muscles and liver. It was found by Oliver and myself that adrenalin 

 is not destroyed by prolonged contact with blood, nor is it eliminated 

 by the urine. Meltzer finds that it is destroyed by cerebro-spinal fluid. 

 Since it has been shown (W. Cramer) that the autacoid is rapidly inacti- 

 vated in vitro by dilute formaldehyde, it may well be that the inactivation 

 in vivo is brought about by this substance, which is believed to be one of 

 the intermediate products of protein-metabolism. 



