FUNCTION OF THE ISLANDS OF LANGERHANS 



skin, with the intention of taking it away some time later, 

 after recovery is assured. It seems of much importance for 

 the success of the operation that the separation of the head 

 of the pancreas from the wall of the duodenum be properly 

 performed. Hedon strongly advises that the gland be torn 

 away from the bowel wall and the latter curetted ; a tedious 

 stoppage of hemorrhage by ligature is avoided, a more 

 thorough extirpation is accomplished, and necrosis of the 

 intestine prevented, which is the principal point. 



A very severe diabetes is invariably thus produced, set- 

 ting in after completion of extirpation and lasting until the 

 death of the experiment animal (two to four weeks later). 

 A diabetes thus produced proceeds in typical fashion with 

 symptoms of hyperglycsBmia, polyphagia, polydypsia, poly- 

 uria, wasting and acidosis. After partial extirpation a dia- 

 betes of less marked severity may be induced, with a course 

 of perhaps many months ' duration, which if total extirpa- 

 tion be completed later on will at once change to a severe 

 type. By transplanting pancreatic tissue into the spleen 4 

 the duration of life of a dog with pancreatic diabetes has 

 been successfully lengthened to a very distinct degree. 



The statement of Chauveau and Kaufmann that the re- 

 sult of pancreatic extirpation may fail to appear if the 

 cervical cord be divided has not been confirmed. Even if 

 this be done and in addition the vagus and sympathetic 

 nerves be cut, thus completely excluding influences from the 

 cerebral centres, the glycosuria, according to Hedon, 

 appears. 5 



Function of the Islands of Langerhans. In the literature 

 upon pancreatic diabetes a very large part is devoted to 

 experiments which have as their purpose determination 

 whether the function of the organ concerned with carbo- 

 hydrate metabolism is connected with the secreting paren- 



4 Martina, cited by Jacoby, Emfiihrung in die experimentelle Therapie,, 

 p. 136, 1910. 



E. He-don ( Montpellier ) , Arch, intern, de Physiol., 11, 195, 1911. 



