546 SUTHERLAND SIMPSON 



chronic character of the symptoms produced by a single dose. In one 

 animal (cat) the effect of a single dose lasted from December 23 till Jan- 

 uary 2, ten flays. 



Paton and Findlay conclude that in a all particulars the symptoms 

 produced by the administration of methylguanidin or guanidin are iden- 

 tical with those which manifest themselves in tetania parathyreopriva. 

 The spasticity, the tremors, the jerkings, the disturbances of balance, and 

 the increased electrical excitability of the neuromyon are all present. As 

 in tetany, so in guanidin poisoning, the course and character of the symp- 

 toms vary greatly in different animals and at different times." The same 

 part of the nervous system appears to be affected in the two conditions. 

 The symptoms of guanidin injection bear the "same relationship to those 

 of tetania parathyreopriva that those following the administration of 

 diphtheria toxin bear to the symptoms of true diphtheria." 



Burns and Sharpe, working in Paton's laboratory, determined the 

 amount of guanidin and methylguanidin in the blood and urine of normal 

 dogs and in dogs from which the parathyroids had been removed ; also in 

 the urine of children free from tetany and of others suffering from it. 

 The guanidin or methylguanidin content of the blood of normal animals 

 had never previously been estimated. Small quantities of guanidin and 

 methylguanidin have been found in normal human urine by Kutscber and 

 Lohmann and by England. Feeding on meat extract increased their out- 

 put, according to Kutscher and Lohmann and to Achelis. The latter 

 obtained these substances also in the urine of the horse. 



Burns and Sharpe criticize the methods of previous workers and give 

 their own in detail. The blood of the normal dog (average of five cases) 

 yielded one milligram of guanidin (and methylguanidin expressed as guan- 

 idin) per 1000 cubic centimeters, while that of parathyroidectomized dogs 

 (average of eight cases) gave 8.7 milligrams, that is, more than eight times 

 as much. In the normal dog's urine they obtained one-fourth of a milli- 

 gram (average of six cases) and 1.1 milligram in that of parathyroidecto- 

 mized dogs (average of 6 cases) per 1000 cubic centimeters. In the urine 

 of normal children the average figure was 0.12 milligram; in children 

 suffering from idiopathic tetany it was, in the active stage 0.58, latent 

 tetany 0.38 and after recovery from tetany 0.12 milligram per 1000 cubic 

 centimeters. From these figures it will be seen that there is a marked in- 

 crease of these substances in the blood and urine of parathyroidectomized 

 dogs and in the urine of children in idiopathic tetany. 



Wishart tested on frog's muscle the action of blood serum obtained 

 from parathyroidectomized dogs and cats in active tetany. It had been 

 found by earlier observers that isotonic solutions of guanidin in Ringer's 

 mixture gave rise to a peculiar twitching in frog's muscles placed in it. 

 This test, if successful, would be additional confirmation of the presence 

 of guanidin in the blood, and could be readily applied. They found that 



