487 
WILLBERG !) examined the resistance of several species of animals to atropin, 
and calculated how many times they were more insensitive than man. We subjoin 
some figures : 
Rabbuik!. +2). 242 „ 
White Mouse. . 162 „ 
Young dog... 124 , 
Full grown dog 194 „ 
Cap METENDE Hoe 
This also shows that the resistance does not depend mainly on the intensity of 
the metabolism of the animals, since the smallest animal examined is less resistant 
than a rabbit or a hen. 
According to some the age of the animals influences the resistance. A young 
individual should then be more resistant than a full-grown animal. WILLBERG 
proved this for dogs. With men also the same phenomenon is observed; for an 
adult 50 berries of atropa belladonna are not fatal, 40 berries will kill an old 
man. The fatal dosis for an adult is 0,01—0,06 gr. sulf atropini; an infant seems 
to tolerate 0,14 grms (BARBIER ”). 
KRASNAGORSKI 5) gave infants with exudalive diathesis, 0,85—2,5 mgr. sulf 
atropini per day during a month without recognizing mydriasis or acceleration 
of the pulse-rate. He ascribes the greater resistance to an increased vagotony in 
young individuals. 
CALMETTE*) injected 200 imgr. of sulf atr. intravenously into a rabbit, without 
establishing any toxic atropin-action. On the other hand an intracerebral injection 
of 2 mgrs induced death under convulsions and paralysis. 
This proves that when the poison is administered in the usual way it is 
rendered harmless before it reaches the brains, which CALMETTE attributed to 
phagocytosis. Several researchers however showed that in this respect his experi- 
ments were fallaceous and that no active part can be ascribed to the white 
blood-corpuscles. 
FLEISCHMANN 5) found that the detoxicating influence of rabbit’s serum can also 
be demonstrated in vitro. 
At the same time he discovered that the individual differences in resistance 
were proportional to the “Zerstörung’'-capacity of the serum. According to this 
experimenter this may be observed also in man: that children, idiots and im- 
beciles tolerate more atropin and hysterici only very little may, according to 
FLEISCHMANN, also be dependent upon the atropin-destroying power of their serum. 
He found that there were rabbits which were very sensitive to intravenous injec- 
tion of sulfas atropini and that also their serum in vitro did not possess any weaken- 
ing action. These were strumous rabbits from Bern, showing hyperthyroidism. 
1) Waurgere. Die nat. Resistenz einiger Tiere dem Atropin gegeniiber. Zeitschr. 
f. Bioch. 66. p. 398, 1914. 
2) Barprer. Sur deux cas d'intoxication par l'atropine. (Thése de Bordeaux 1910). 
3) KRASNAGORSKI. Exsudat. Diath. u. Vagotonie M. S. Kind. XII 1913, p. 138. 
4) Carmerre. Sur le mécanisme de l'immunité contre les alcaloïdes. Soc. Biol. 
Jub. band 1899. 
5) FLEISCHMANN. Atropine-Entgiftung durch Blut. Arch. f. exp. Path. 62, 1910, 
p. 518. 
