RELATION SUPRARENAL GLANDS TO CIRCULATION 209 



phase immediately succeeded during which the stream volume increased 

 and attained the normal height at the same time as blood-pressure. The 

 portal blood-pressure usually decreased during the early part of the re- 

 action but later increased until it was considerably above the normal 

 point. Certain exceptions to this behavior were noted. In one dog the 

 portal stream showed no decrease in volume, but an increase to four 

 times the normal. It was also found that under the influence of epinephrin 

 the blood-pressure in the vena cava was increased, but this increase per- 

 sisted for a shorter period than that in the portal vein. Hence back pres- 

 sure from the vena cava could account only partially for the portal in- 

 crease, this being due in the main to an action of epinephrin upon the liver 

 vessels. Such action persists longer upon the hepatic vessels than upon 

 those in other localities, since the aortic and caval pressures often returned 

 to normal before the portal pressure had regained its antecedent level. 



Burton-Opitz (1912) has also reported Stromuhr observations upon 

 the hepatic circulation. His experiments were 'restricted to dosages in- 

 tended to produce "reactions of moderate amplitude." As a matter of 

 fact, relatively very large doses were employed, e.g., 2 to 5 c.c. of 1 :10,000 

 solution of epinephrin, introduced by facial vein. In other experiments, 

 however, in which the drug was introduced directly into the hepatic artery, 

 2 to 4 drops of the solution were found sufficient. Observations upon 

 8 dogs were reported. The method was to ligate the gastro-duodenal 

 artery distal to the liver and to insert the Stromuhr into the hepatic 

 artery very close to the right hepatic branch or into the portal vein. 

 Blood-pressure in the femoral and the hepatic arteries was recorded simul- 

 taneously with the flow. The effect of epinephrin was determined both 

 upon arterial and upon venous inflow in the liver. 



It was found that simultaneously with augmented systemic blood-pres- 

 sure there was an increased inflow in the hepatic artery, both reach- 

 ing their maximum at the same time. Sometimes, however, the hepatic 

 artery was so constricted by the epinephrin that the increased blood 

 flow was brought to an abrupt end and in place of it there, was a decrease 

 which might give values strikingly below normal, even while the systemic 

 pressure 'was still high. 



As regards the portal inflow, epinephrin in small quantities was found 

 to cause a slight retardation accompanied by a marked increase in the 

 portal blood-pressure. If sufficient epinephrin was introduced into the 

 portal vein to bring about changes in the general circulation, an initial 

 increase in portal inflow was followed by a further subsequent increase de- 

 pendent upon the augmented systemic blood-pressure. In some cases, 

 however, augmented systemic pressure was noted without any correspond- 

 ing increase in the portal flow. Ordinarily, the increased portal pressure 

 persisted for some time after the systemic blood-pressure had regained 

 a normal level. On account of the dissociation noted between pressure 



