48 Salt Treatment and Adrenalectomy 



Conclusion 



This presentation deals with the functional rehabilitation that occurs in the 

 adrenalectomized animal when an optimal amount of salt is administered. 

 It has been found that sodium chloride has a beneficial influence on inany 

 functions that are disturbed by removal of the adrenals: in some instances 

 the degree of restoration is slight while in others it is virtually complete. 



Given in optimal amounts, sodium chloride protects the animal from the 

 serious consequences of adrenalectomy. Thus in the adrenalectomized animal 

 the use of salt and of adrenal cortical hormone is interchangeable to a cer- 

 tain degree. This interchangeability does not obtain, however, under any 

 other conditions as far as we know. The effect of salt administration in the 

 normal animal does not simidate the action of adrenal cortical hormone. 

 Moreover in the adrenalectomized animal the giving of large amounts of salt 

 fails to produce those effects ordinarily associated with exaggerated adrenal 

 cortical function— in fact, an excess of salt is injurious to the adrenalectomized 

 animal. 



Just as sodium chloride protects the animal from an adrenal cortical in- 

 sufficiency, so does adrenal cortical hormone protect against salt deficiency. 

 The fact that the intact animal may survive on an exceedingly low intake of 

 sodium (Orent-Keiles, Robinson and McCollum^') is evidence of the protec- 

 tive action of adrenal cortical hormone. Moreover the observation that the 

 adrenalectomized animal needs more salt than the amount required by the 

 normal animal also bears out this point. All these data strongly suggest that 

 the adrenal cortical hormone acts on the mechanisms of the body which 

 require salt. 



From these observations it is clear that adrenal cortical hormone has a 

 much wider range of action than salt in the adrenalectomized animal. Salt 

 partially restores altered function caused by removal of the adrenals; the 

 adrenal cortical hormone carries this restoration to completion. It would 

 seem, therefore, that the role of the adrenal cortical hormone is that of en- 

 abling the mechanisms requiring salt to function inore adequately. 



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