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in the innervation of the striated muscles, disorders in the innerva- 
tion of the unstriated muscular tissue (paralysis of the esophagus 
and the gastro-intestinal canal in the fowl, among others) and also 
trophical disorders. These disturbances are no doubt partly of a 
nervous character; in animals suffering from avitaminoses, e.g. in 
fowls attacked by polyneuritis, distinct anomalies occur in the peri- 
pheral nerves. These anatomic anomalies, however, cannot be the 
decisive factor in the origin of the avitaminosis, since very often in 
animals, exhibiting marked symptoms of avitaminosis, an injection 
of the vitamins concerned may exert a highly curative effect in a 
very short time, so that the animal may practically be cured. This 
leads to the conclusion that part of the disorders occurring with 
avitaminosis are doubtless functional, i.e. the organs of the animal 
do not react on the stimuli present at that moment, but may 
recover, or nearly so, their normal function again through the addition 
of a special substance: vitamin. 
It should seem then that with avitaminosis the condition frequently 
occurs that several striated and unstriated muscles do not indeed 
react, but that they may be incited to reaction through the addition 
of a special substance. 
The question, therefore, arises: Why do these striped and smooth 
muscles not react? 
In our judgment three possibilities must be considered, anyhow so 
far as the unstriated muscular tissue is concerned : 
Firstly, the organs do not react, because the substance which has 
to stimulate the organ is not present in an adequate amount. 
Secondly: the organs do not react because their sensitivity to 
stimulating substances, even if present in an adequate amount, is 
lessened: 
Thirdly: the sensitivity of the organs is normal, there is sufficient 
quantum of stimulating substances, but specific (colloidal) substances 
are wanting in the body of the animals, which have to facilitate or 
to promote the action of the stimulating substances through the 
organs. 
An intimation that influences on the sensitivity of unstriated 
muscular tissue are in operation in the symptoms of avitaminosis, 
is found in a report by UntmMann'), who showed that in a vitamin- 
preparation, orypan, there is a substance which plays an influence on 
unstriated muscular tissue which resembles the influence of pilocarpin. 
Without having taken any cognizance of UHLMANN’s researches, 
1) Fr. ULHMANN. Beiträge zur Pharmakologie der Vitamine. Habilitationsschrift. 
