THE NERVO-VASCULAR SUPPLY OF THE LUNGS. 471 



gestive turgescence of all its vessels must follow. Notwith- 

 standing the fact that not a drop of blood is added to that 

 contained in the system, dyspnoea occurs. Dyspnoea also fol- 

 lows insufficiency of the adrenals, i.e., of its secretion, be- 

 cause this involves in direct sequence imperfect oxygenation 

 of the pulmonary blood, inadequate oxidation of the cerebro- 

 spinal centers, relaxation of the vascular channels, etc. Con- 

 traction and dilation of the vascular channels being of su- 

 prarenal origin, the vasomotor terminals obviously become 

 prominent elements of the mechanism. In fact, it is partly 

 through the intermediary of vasomotor nerves that excessive 

 or inadequate activity of the adrenals is felt in all parts of 

 the organism. 



That the suprarenal secretion, through which the right 

 heart is contracted, underlies dyspnoea is well illustrated by 

 the effects of all drugs that are sufficiently active to markedly 

 affect adrenal functions. The action of venoms even more 

 strikingly shows the morbid connection that exists between 

 the impairment of suprarenal activity and pulmonary func- 

 tions, even the stage of blood-disintegration being sometimes 

 reached. Noe, 27 for instance, refers to the many observers 

 who have reported intense respiratory phenomena after cobra- 

 bites. Viper-venom was also found by Phisalix to produce at 

 first "accelerated respiration," then "somnolence, with slowing 

 of respiration." Bee-venom in sufficient quantity gives rise 

 to dyspnoea, according to Paul Bert, black Wood being found 

 in the vessels. Toad-, salamander-, scorpion-, and eel- venoms 

 were found to affect respiration in a similar manner. Mosso 

 noted that the process of death varied with the dose: medium 

 doses first arrest respiration, then the heart; stronger doses 

 arrest both simultaneously. Paralysis of the motor end-plates 

 had evidently nothing to do with this process, since Mosso 

 found the thoracic nerves responsive to the induced current. 



Eemoval of the adrenals under these conditions should 

 give rise to phenomena similar to a violent dose of venom. 

 Cybulski not only observed, 28 under these conditions, marked 

 dyspnoea, a fall of the vascular pressure to zero, and haemo- 



27 No6: LOG. cit. 



28 Cybulski: Gazeta Lekarska, March 23, 1895. 



