186 



Effects of Sugar injected into a Vein. [June 15, 



polariscope and as a-crotonic acid, but could not, with any certainty, 

 be demonstrated. 



6. The blood was examined for alcohol, acetone, and acetoacetic acid 

 by distilling it at a temperature of 102 C. by means of steam passed 

 through it. The distillate being examined for alcohol arid acetone. 

 While in normal blood so treated neither alcohol nor acetone could 

 be demonstrated, in the blood of dogs subjected to the sugar injection 

 the presence of both of these substances was readily recognised. 



Acetoacetic acid was searched for by acidifying the blood with 

 sulphuric acid and then again distilling it. By this means its 

 presence was also demonstrated in the blood of the sugared dogs. 



7. As not only alcohol and acetone but likewise acetoacetic acid was 

 found in the blood after the intravenous injection of sugar, it was 

 decided to see how much ammonia could also be distilled off after 

 adding magnesia to the blood. In the first place, as it was necessary 

 to see if ligaturing the ureters caused an increase of the ammonia 

 normally present in the blood. The blood of a dog in which the 

 ureters alone had been ligatured was distilled, first immediately after 

 and then a second time when the ureters had been ligatured five 

 hours. The first blood yielded 0*025 per cent, and the second 0*024 

 per cent, of ammonia. So the ligaturing of the ureters had caused 

 no increase in the quantity of ammonia present in the blood. 



The same thing was then done with the blood from dogs before and 

 after the intravenous injection of sugar. 



It is thus seen the sugar injection had caused no increase in the 

 quantity of ammonia in the blood. 



It may be safely concluded that ammonia is not the cause of the 

 nervous symptoms which followed the injection of 1 per cent, of sugar 

 intravenously. 



As these results again do not accord with those which follow on the 

 injection of alcohol, we are led to suppose that they may be in some 

 way or another connected with the presence in the blood of the ab- 

 normal substances, acetone and acetoacetic acid, which, as was seen, 

 were not only found in the blood but likewise in the urine. 



