56 TEE TOXICITY OF CAFFEIN. 



of drugs might be greatly altered under pathological conditions. Hunt 40 has shown 

 that resistance to acetonitril is considerably diminished in chronic alcoholism. This 

 seems to be true also of other drugs under abnormal conditions. Smaller doses of 

 atropin 78 are required in lead poisoning than under normal conditions to produce 

 the same results. The following experiment is of interest in this connection, for in 

 this case a much smaller dose than was given in experiments Nos. 43 and 48 produced 

 the typical symptoms of caffein poisoning and proved to be fatal. 



Cat 47, black and white male. Weight, 4,220 grams. 



September 15: Received subcutaneously 18 cc 2 per cent caffein (0.084 gram per 

 kilo); no symptoms observed for about six hours. 



September 16: No symptoms. 



September 17: Weight, 4,250 grams; injected 18 cc 2 per cent caffein (0.084 gram 

 per kilo); tetanus and death after two hours. Autopsy: Severe hemorrhagic pneu- 

 monia; kidneys pale, other organs normal. 



Since two controls survived the same dose in proportion to the body weight of the 

 animal without showing any symptoms, the assumption is justified that the lower 

 resistance to caffein was due to the presence of pneumonia, thus affording additional 

 support to the view that the toxicity of caffein may be increased in disease. 



INJECTION INTO THE PERITONEAL CAVITY. 



These experiments were carried out on full-grown and on young subjects. As in 

 previous experiments, doses of different sizes were employed. A dose of 0.2 gram 

 per kilo was tried first and then reduced gradually to 0.1 gram per kilo. 



Cat 10. Female. Weight, 2,970 grams. 



October 9, 1909: 1.30 p. m., 30 cc 2 per cent caffein (0.2 gram per kilo) injected 

 into the peritoneal cavity; urine examined for albumin and sugar, negative; cat 

 found dead at 2.30 p. m. No urine in the bladder. 

 Cat 16. Black female. Weight, 2,420 grams. 



October 9, 1910: Urine examined for albumin and sugar, negative; 2.30 p. m., 22 cc 

 2 per cent caffein (0.183 gram per kilo) injected into the peritoneal cavity; found 

 dead at 3 p. m. 

 Cat 99. Well-fed gray female. Weight, 3 kilos. 



June 22, 1911: 3.40 p. m., 15 cc 2 per cent caffein injected into peritoneal cavity; 

 salivation and marked irritability within one hour after injection. 



June 24: Alive, appetite good. 

 Cat 98. Well-fed black male. Weight, 4,100 grams. 



June 22: 3.45 p. m., 20.5 cc 2 per cent caffein (0.1 gram per kilo) injected into 

 peritoneal cavity; very irritable a few minutes after injection, no other symptoms. 



June 24: No symptoms, appetite good. 

 Cat 93. Black and white. Weight, 1,450 grams. 



June 22: 3 p. m., 30 cc 2 per cent caffein (0.137 gram per kilo) injected into peri- 

 toneal cavity; salivation, no other symptoms; under observation until 6 p. m. 



June 23: 9 a. m., no urine, cat showed no symptoms. 



June 24: 9 a. m., no symptoms, took nourishment as usual. 

 Cat 87. Well-fed white female. Weight, 2,615 grams. 



June 23: 2.45 p. m., 19 cc 2 per cent caffein (0.145 gram per kilo) injected into peri- 

 toneal cavity; became irritable and restless. 



June 24: 9 a. m., no symptoms, took nourishment as usual. 

 Cat 97. Gray. Age, 3 months. Weight, 500 grams. Diet, meat. 



June 24: 2.25 p. m., 5 cc 2 per cent caffein (0.2 gram per kilo) injected into peri- 

 toneal cavity; 4 p. m., no symptoms. 



June 29: Died. 

 Cat 96. Gray and white. Age, 3 months. Weight, 575 grams. Diet, meat. 



June 24: 2.20 p. m., 4 cc 2 per cent caffein (0.139 gram per kilo) injected into peri- 

 toneal cavity; 3.55 p. m., no symptoms. 



June 30: Died. 

 Cat 95. Black. Age, about 3 months. Weight, 860 grams. Diet, meat. 



June 24: 10.15 a. m., 8.6 cc 2 per cent caffein injected into peritoneal cavity, sali- 

 vation immediately after injection; 10.25, convulsions and paralysis; died 10.45 a. m. 

 Autopsy: Macroscopical examination of the organs, negative. 



