84 MEDULLA 



CH 2 • CH(NHCH 3 )COOH CH 2 • CH(NHCH 3 )COOH 



OH -2H I U > 



OH V +H >° 



N-methyl dopa quinone of N-methyl dopa 



CH(OH)CH 2 (NHCH 3 ) 



+ co 2 



OH 



Epinephrine 



Attempts to carry out the above reactions by perfusing the 

 adrenal gland have heretofore failed. This could be accounted 

 for by assuming a very rapid loss of its synthetic powers 

 after removal of the gland from the body or that certain of 

 the intermediate steps of the reaction occur in organs other 

 than the adrenal. Repetition of the experiment by perfusion 

 of the organ in situ and insertion of the necessary cannulae 

 before interrupting the normal blood supply of the gland would 

 promise greater success than the use of a "chilled" gland re- 

 moved from the abattoir to the laboratory as employed by 

 previous workers. 



The earlier theories concerning the origin of epinephrine in 

 the organism, as described above, presuppose its derivation 

 from tyrosine or from dopa. However, no evidence has ever 

 been adduced to show that either of these substances can be 

 converted to epinephrine in the adrenal. On the other hand, 

 as Nikolaeff 472 first demonstrated, perfusion of the surviving 

 adrenal with a solution containing tyramine results in the 

 production of a substance having the properties of epinephrine. 

 Schuler and Wiedemann 657 using slices of fresh adrenals were 

 able to demonstrate the formation from tyramine of a sub- 

 stance which, like epinephrine, reduces the Folin-Dennis re- 

 agent and also raises the blood pressure when injected into 



