THEORY OF CURATIVE REACTIONS 



179 



amino-acids. The animals had been previously thyro- 

 parathyroidectomized, and into some of them there was 

 injected, before or during the introduction of amino-acids, 

 the active principle of the thyroid (Kendall). 



"The observed results allow of the classification of the 

 animals into two groups: Some had abundant diuresis and 

 their temperature increased, sometimes reaching 113. 

 Their respiration became accelerated, and deep; their pulse 

 became rapid. Nervous excitability was increased, and there 

 were rigors accompanied by spasms which suggested the 

 contractions of tetany. 



"Other animals showed quite different manifestations: 

 urine was scarce, temperature remained normal, pulse was 

 small and regular, respiration feeble and superficial, nervous 

 system greatly depressed. 



"Between these two types intermediate forms could be 

 observed, and sometimes tetanus was seen to develop after 

 a period of depression. 



"Among the conditions intervening to modify these 

 symptom-complexes, the influence of food is important. 

 The depressive form is observed with digesting animals, 

 the. tetanic form with those fasting for twenty-four or forty- 

 eight hours. 



"The effects of thyroid extract are quite varied. If 

 thyroid extract is introduced before the injection of the 

 amino-acids, the depressive phenomena predominate. 



"Since amino-acids determine under experimental condi- 

 tions, results diametrically opposed, one is led to suppose 

 that they undergo in the organism changes which modify 

 their properties. It has long been known that they are 

 transformed, at least in part, into ammonia and urea. It was 

 therefore interesting to determine the proportions of these 

 substances in the urine excreted by these experimental 

 animals. 



"When the symptoms of nervous excitation predominate 

 the quantity of urine is often considerably increased. A dog 

 weighing twenty-four pounds, in one hour excreted 1760 

 c.c. of urine. Before the experiment, urea formed 80 per 

 cent, of the total nitrogen in the urine but during the experi- 



