78 



THE TOXICITY OF CAFFEIN. 



June 8: Weight, 7.5 kilos; 0.9 gram caffein, 450 cc urine, 1 p. m.; 200 grams meat, 

 500 cc water. 



June 9: Weight, 7.6 kilos; 0.9 gram caffein, 1 p. m.; 500 cc water, 200 grams meat 

 and bone dust; diarrhea and restlessness all afternoon. 



June 10: Weight, 7.6 kilos; 1 gram caffein, 500 cc water, 200 grams meat, 480 cc 

 urine. 



June 11: Weight, 8 kilos; 1 gram caffein, 470 cc urine, 500 cc water, 200 grams meat. 



June 12: Weight, 7.8 kilos; 1 gram caffein, 710 cc urine, 500 cc water, 200 grams 

 meat. 



June 13: 450 cc urine, 500 cc water, 300 grams meat. 



June 14: Weight, 7.9 kilos; 1.2 grams caffein, 500 cc water, 300 grams meat, 490 

 cc urine. 



June 15: Weight 7.8 kilos, 500 cc water, 300 grams meat, 550 cc urine. 



June 16: Weight 8.0 kilos, 1.2 gram caffein, 500 cc water, 300 grams meat, bone dust 

 added to check diarrhea. 



June 17: 500 cc water, 300 grams meat, 450 cc urine, diarrhea continues, bone dust 

 added. 



June 18. Weight 7.8 kilos, 1.3 gram caffein, 300 grams meat, 500 cc water, 300 cc 

 urine. 



June 19: Dog very thirsty, drank 1 liter of water and ate 350 grams of meat; 960 

 cc urine passed during the past 24 hour. 



June 21: Weight 7.5 kilos, 1.5 grams caffein given at 10 a. m. At 2 p. m. convul- 

 sions and death. This dog received a total of 21.15 grams caffein in 25 doses during 

 a period of 35 days, which amounts to an average of 85 mg per kilo daily. 

 Dog 19. Female fox terrier. 



May 13: Weight 6.4 kilos. Diet consisted of rice, 100 grams; sugar, 100 grams; and 

 a sufficient quantity of meat and cracker meal to give flavor to the food. Examina- 

 tion of the urine showed a trace of albumin but no sugar. The urine was acid to litmus. 

 Two days later the urine was alkaline to litmus. There was still a small amount of 

 albumin but no sugar. 



May 17, 0.5 gram caffein was given by mouth. Examination of the urine collected 

 the next day still showed the presence of albumin and the absence of reducing sub- 

 stances/ The dog had tremors. Caffein was, therefore, not administered. 



May 19: 0.5 gram caffein was given by mouth. 



May 20: 0.75 gram caffein was fed at 12.45 p. m. The dog vomited during the night 

 and tremors were observed the next morning. The urine collected was examined 

 for albumin and sugar, but neither was found. 



May 21: 12 noon, 0.75 gram caffejn was fed. The dog weighed 6 kilos, which there- 

 fore represented a loss "of 0.4 kilo. Grew abnormally thirsty and lost appetite, but 

 no other symptoms of caffein poisoning were observed. 



May 22: The dog was again given 0.75 gram caffein at 12 noon. The examination 

 .of the urine for albumin and sugar gave negative results. The dog died at 4.15 p. m. 

 The fatal dose for this dog was therefore 0.125 gram caffein per kilo, and the total 

 amount of caffein ingested in six days amounted to 3.25 grams, or 0.54 gram per day, 

 which makes 90 mg per kilo. 

 Dog n. While female bull. 



This dog was kept on a diet exclusively of meat, and was given water ab libitum. 

 From 0.5 to 0.6 gram of caffein was administered daily for seven days; the doses were 

 then increased and were given at longer intervals. No symptoms of the effects of 

 caffein were observed until a dose of 1.5 gram was fed, when diarrhea was noticed on 

 the next day. In the following record the details of the experiment are given: 



i Diarrhea. 



