1 56 INTERNAL SECRETION 



In connection with these findings of Schwarz's, O. Forges 

 reports that he found a diminution in the quantity of glycogen in 

 dogs without suprarenals. 



These results, when taken in conjunction with observations 

 to be described later of the glycosuric activity of adrenalin, point 

 to the fact that the internal secretion of the adrenal system affects 

 the mobilization of the sugar in the blood as \vell as the new 

 formation of glycogen in the economy. 



The most conspicuous symptoms of suprarenal suppression 

 are undoubtedly the muscular weakness, asthenia, and apathy, 

 which increase to complete paralysis shortly before death. The 

 extreme indolence of the muscular movements is very conspicuous 

 in frogs ; it makes its appearance upon the second day after 

 operation and in the case of the hinder extremities passes ulti- 

 mately into paralysis. Abelous and Langlois compare the condi- 

 tion with the effects of curare poisoning, for they found that the 

 sensibility of the muscles to indirect electric stimulus by way of 

 the nerves disappeared shortly before death, while the sensibility 

 to direct stimulus remained. These results were not confirmed 

 however by later investigators (Gourfein, Hultgren and Anders- 

 son, Biedl) with either frogs or warm-blooded animals. It is 

 very important to remember that the clinical picture presented by 

 suprarenal suppression bears not the slightest resemblance to that 

 of curare poisoning, either at the beginning, when the condition 

 is characterized by extreme muscular weakness and prostration, 

 or later, when total paralysis has made its appearance. On the 

 other hand, a liability to fatigue, first pointed out by Albanese, 

 and an extreme sensitiveness to violent muscular exertion, are 

 undoubted characteristics of all animals with suprarenal in- 

 adequacy. To compel such animals to extreme muscular effort is to 

 greatly shorten their lease of life, and, in many cases, the animal 

 falls dead while making the muscular effort. 



The blood of animals which have lost their suprarenals is 

 said to possess a peculiar toxicity. According to Brown-Sequard, 

 the blood of such animals shortens the life of animals of the same 

 species which have likewise lost their suprarenals, while the life 

 of the latter is prolonged by the blood of normal animals. Abelous 

 and Langlois found that symptoms of exhaustion were produced 

 in frogs, guinea-pigs and dogs, and, in the case of epinephrec- 

 tomized animals, death was hastened, not by the blood only of 

 animals which had lost their suprarenals, but also by alcoholic 

 extracts of their muscles, especially of tetanized muscles ; similar 

 effects were produced by extracts of tetanized muscles of normal 

 animals. The intravenous injection of these extracts into healthy 

 animals produced transient symptoms of poisoning. These find- 

 ings are confirmed by Boinet and Mariani. Boinet also found 

 that the viscera of epinephrectomized animals was markedly toxic, 

 while Mariani found that there was an increased toxicity of the 

 urine. 



