108 FRAKK A. HARTMAN 



mal bloofl. The apparent toxemia of decapsulation may be due to two 

 factors, viz., a lowered resistance to poisons and an accumulation of harm- 

 ful substances in the blood. 



Boinet's(e) (g) investigations seem to show a lowered resistance. He 

 found that doubly decapsulated rats were less able to withstand the in- 

 jection of toxic substances than were normal subjects. Some have sug- 

 gested that the suprarenal has a detoxicating or toxin-neutralizing func- 

 tion. Although the evidence which supports this idea is mainly of an in- 

 direct nature Myers has found that the mixing of cobra venom with an 

 emulsion of suprarenal cortex destroys its toxicity. 



Altered Composition of the Blood. Experiments in relation to 

 toxemia indicate that the composition of the blood becomes changed after 

 double capsulectomy. Gradinescu reported that the plasma became more 

 concentrated, while Donath definitely stated that there was an increase of 

 about five per cent in the solids. 



Changes in the concentration of specific substances in the blood have 

 been noted by many. Porak and Chabanier found an increase in the 

 blood urea of seven rabbits from which both suprarenal s had been re- 

 moved. This, however, might have been due incidentally to the mori- 

 bund condition of the animals for they lived only from eight to twelve 

 hours after the operation. 



Marshall and Davis have shown that certain products of metabolism 

 tend to accumulate in the blood of decapsulated animals before they 

 reach the moribund condition. By operating through the lumbar path- 

 way in two stages they succeeded in preserving the life of their cats for 

 periods of time ranging from one to seven days or an average of three 

 and one-half days (16 animals) after the second operation. 



They found that the urea concentration in the blood rose to about 

 twice normal where it remained until shortly before death when it again 

 rose. This was due to the decreased functioning power of the kidneys 

 for it was shown that they excreted very slowly urea and creatinin in- 

 jected into the blood. Inasmuch as the decreased efficiency of the kid- 

 neys in the animals deprived of their capsules may occur with a normal 

 blood pressure and while the animals are in an excellent physical con- 

 dition Marshall and Davis have suggested that the suprarenal produces 

 some substance which is necessary for normal kidney function. 



It has been pointed out by Whipple and Christman that the excretory 

 power of the live? is reduced by removal of three-fourths or more of the 

 suprarenals. They found that phthalein injections were excreted much 

 more slowly in such cases. 



Reduction in Metabolism. Metabolism becomes much reduced dur- 

 ing suprarenal deficiency. This is indicated by the fall in temperature 

 which in later stages becomes so marked that raising the surrounding tem- 

 perature to 50 C. does not restore it to normal (Gautrelet and Thomas). 



