1903.] The Physiological Action of Betaine. :-i45 



The first two substances are considerably more toxic than the 

 second two ; and for each of the two pairs the first named has shown 

 itself to be somewhat the more toxic. 



As regards the excised heart, the effect of all four substances is 

 arrest in diastole ; the effect is in each case counteracted by atropine. 



" The Physiological Action of Betaine extracted from Raw Beet- 

 Sugar." By A. D. WALLER, M.D, F.B.S., and E. H. ADEKS 

 PLIMMER, D.Sc. (Grocers' Research Student, Jenner Institute 

 of Preventive Medicine). Eeceived June 12, Eead June 18, 

 1903. 



(From the Physiological Laboratory of the University of London, and t&e Chemical 

 and Water Laboratory of the Jenner Institute of Preventive Medicine.) 



PART 1 (A. D. W.). 



From the observations described in the preceding communication, it 

 was evident that betaine cannot be distinguished as an inert member 

 of the ptomaine series, at least as regards its action on isolated nerve 

 and on the isolated heart. This led to an inquiry into the original 

 source of the universal text-book statement that betaine, unlike choline, 

 neurine and muscarine, is non-toxic. The only experimental evidence 

 to the point consists (as far as I have yet discovered*) in a statement 

 by Schultzen, quoted by Scheibler in the 'Berichte der Deutschen 

 Chemischen Gesellschaft ' for 1870, vol. 3, p. 155, to the following 

 effect : 



" Mehrere Versuche welche ich mit dem Betain ausstellte, haben 

 iibereinstimmend ergeben dass dasselbe in keiner Weise giftig wirkt, 

 ja keinerlei wahrnehmbare Wirkungen auf das Befinden eines Thieres 



* K. Andrlik, A. Velich, and VI. Stangk, in a quite recent paper ("Das Betain 

 iuPhysiologish-chemischer Beziehung. Yorlaufige Mittheiluug." ' Cbt. fur Physio- 

 logic,' November 22, 1902, p. 452), confirm Scheibler's statement, saying : 



" Es ergab sich [an Froschen, weissen Katten und Hunden] dass die direkte 

 injection dieses Stoffes [Betain] in das Blut selbst in grosseren Mengen keine 

 erkennbaren Aenderungen der physiologischen Functionen herbeifulirt. Direkte 

 Messungen des Blutdruckes bei curaresirten Hunden baben gezeigt, dass das 

 Betain den Blutdruck absolut nicht beeinflusst. Es war nur eine unbedeutende 

 Pulsretardation zu vermerken. Andere sichtbare Symptome konnten nicht constatirt 

 werden." 



They injected 5 grammes per venom into a dog and recovered nearly the whole 

 of this amount from the urine in an unaltered state. Per os only about one-third 

 of the betaine administered was recovered from the urine. From a cow having 

 taken 144 grammes per os none was recovered. 



