720 HENKY G. BARBOUR 



Water Metabolism. The urine is increased in amount by sodium 

 chlorid, as by other solids which the kidney eliminates. All salts readily 

 absorbable from the alimentary tract act therefore as diuretics. It is 

 well known that salts, especially sodium chlorid, play an important role 

 in the movement of fluids everywhere in the body, as in secretions, effusions 

 and edemas. 



Body Temperature. The phenomenon known as salt fever came tc 

 light through observations of pediatricians, notably Finkelstein am 

 Schaps, who observed a rise in the body temperature of infants sub- 

 sequent to oral or subcutaneous administration of saline solutions. In 

 adults Bingel obtained less constant results from one liter injections of 

 0.0 per cent sodium chlorid; the maximum temperature changes varied 

 all the way from 0.3 to +2.5 C., the fevers greatly predominating, 

 however. When a solution containing NaCl 1.8, CaCl 2 0.24, KC1 0.42 and 

 XaHCO 3 "0.2 gm. in one liter was given the temperature increases were 

 also frequent and pronounced. 



To account for salt fever a specific sodium ion effect has been claimed 

 by many ; Burnett and Martin, for example, were able to prevent its ap- 

 pearance by antagonizing the sodium with proper amounts of calcium. 

 While the above-mentioned results of Bingel in no wise disprove the 

 sodium ion theory, some observers, as Holly and Christ] ansen, find hyper- 

 tonic (3 per cent) saline more effective than isotonic. indicating that salt 

 action is at least an important factor. 



Heubner(&) studied the effects of intravenous saline injections in rab- 

 bits and states that while 0.1-0.3 milligram were pyretic, doses of twenty 

 times this magnitude gave a prompt temperature decrease. This latter ef- 

 fect was possibly associated with protracted dilution of the blood. Having 

 obtained negative effects with his Ringer solution injections Heubner 

 favors the sodium ion theory. 



Extensive work upon salt fever has been reported by Freund, who 

 pointed out a parallelism between sodium chlorid and epinephrin effects; 

 under similar conditions he produced both fever and glycosuria by in- 

 jecting either of the two agents intravenously. From these and like 

 results he concluded that "the disposition to sodium chlorid fever" is 

 equivalent to a state of hyperirritability of the sympathetic nervous 

 system. 1 



Freund also obtained sodium chlorid fever by oral administrator 

 in rabbits, 1.5-2 grams giving the best results; 3 grams frequently, and 

 grams always, reduced the temperature (as was the case with Heubner's 

 larger injections). He pointed oat that the oral experiments dispose 

 effectively of a rather widespread contention that salt fever might be 

 attributed entirely to the "water infection" which intravenous injections 



Epinephrin, salt and sugar fevers lend themselves to a single interpretation: 

 loss of water from the blood. 



