ItitL $VrKAKtLi\AL. CAjTSULHS. 4O3 



sequence of the particular extirpation is poisonous, especially 

 for other animals which have been submitted to the opera- 

 tion. It seems probable that the blood of an animal dying 

 slowly from any disease would be toxic, and especially so to 

 those animals whose resisting power has been lessened by 

 a severe operation. Whether, however, the capsules do or 

 do not perform an excretory function, they unquestionably 

 produce a material which has entirely different properties 

 from those stated to be possessed by the blood of animals 

 deprived of these organs. This aspect of the question has 

 been studied by making extracts of the healthy gland, and 

 injecting these into the circulation and noting the results. 



Pellacani, 1 both alone and in conjunction with Foa, 2 

 appears to have been the first to study the subject in this 

 manner. The symptoms noted were chiefly respiratory, 

 and death preceded by paralysis was in most cases the 

 ultimate result. Marino-Zucco 3 attributed this result to 

 neurine, which is contained in considerable amount in the 

 capsules, and is stated to appear in the urine after the in- 

 jection. None of these observers, however, availed them- 

 selves of the more exact methods of modern physiology, 

 and give no graphic records illustrating their statements ; 

 blood pressure they seem to have neglected altogether. 



This gap has now been filled up by Schafer and Oliver 4 

 in this country, and later by Szymonowicz 5 and N. 

 Cybulski c in Poland. 



Schafer and Oliver confirm previous workers, in so far 

 as they show that the effects are chiefly seen in the muscular 

 system, but the toxic effects on the voluntary muscles are 

 those of veratrine rather than of curare. The effect of 



1 Arch, per le sci. med., iii., 1874. 



2 Ibid., vii., 1884. 



3 Chem. Centralbl., 1888. Marino-Zucco and Dutto, Moleschotfs 

 Uhters., xiv. Marino-Zucco and Guaruceri, Chem. Ce?itralbl, 1888, and Arch, 

 ital. de Biol., x. 



4 " Proc physiol. Soc." contained mjourn. of Physiol., xvi., p. 1, and 

 xvii., p. ix., and Joum. of Physiol., xviii., p. 230. 



5 Anz. der Akad. d. Wiss. in Krakan, February, 1895. 



Ibid., March, 1895; an d Gaze ta lekarska, 1895, No. 12, War- 

 schan. 



