EFFECTS OF CERTAIN DRUGS AND POISONS 757 



Uranium. In uranium intoxication while renal and capillary per- 

 meability appear to occupy the center of the picture, a kinship to phos- 

 phorus poisoning is still discernible. Edema, due to capillary poisoning, 

 is often a feature. 



Water Metabolism. Leconte in 1854 described general anasarca and 

 ascites as a result of the hypodermic administration of uranium acetate. 

 Altered permeability of the capillaries was suggested by Richter as re- 

 sponsible for these changes. He found the edema not connected causally 

 with salt retention. Fleckseder(a) excluded the renal factor, for he was 

 able to produce the condition by giving uranium to nephrectomized ani- 

 mals, which do not develop hydrops without the poison. Further evidence 

 of altered capillary permeability was furnished by Bogert, Mendel and 

 Underbill, who showed that uranium interferes with the restoration of 

 blood volume after large saline infusions. 



Uranium poisoning is associated with various degrees of nephritis, 

 and suppression of urine flow. In the earlier stages the oliguria may be 

 partially overcome by caffein and the saline diuretics (Mosenthal and 

 Schlayer). Diuretics do not, however, relieve complete uranium anuria, 

 according to MacNider(a) who found the nephritis associated with an acid 

 intoxication as evidenced by ketosis and a lowered alkali reserve. Inhibi- 

 tion of the nephritis with bicarbonate was found possible under some 

 conditions. 



MacNider found polyuria (accompanied by glycosuria) in the milder 

 types of uranium poisoning. 



Mineral Metabolism.- Pearce, Hill and Eisenbrey found a decreased 

 chlorid excretion in uranium nephritis. Austin and Eisenbrey were 

 later able to show that the smallest nephritic doses cause, along with 

 the polyuria, some increase in the chlorids. Uranium (as well as 

 chromates) may diminish chlorid excretion by 4-0 per cent for twenty-four 

 hours. 



Protein Metabolism. The nitrogen excretion also ran parallel to 

 diuresis or anuria in the experiments of Pearce and others, who con- 

 firmed the findings of Chittenden and Lambert that uranium increases 

 protein catabolism, as shown by augmented nitrogen, sulphate and phos- 

 phate excretion. Mosenthal (c) found the non-protein blood nitrogen in- 

 creased and pointed out that aside from renal retention this might be 

 due to increase in the catabolism or to blood concentration. Karsner and 

 Denis found the increase in non-protein nitrogen of the blood parallel to 

 retention of phthalein. 



Watanabe(a) finds in mild uranium nephritis that creatinin is less 

 readily eliminated than urea ; the opposite relation obtains in severe types. 



Carbohydrate Metabolism. Uranium glycosuria was discovered by 

 Leconte and has been sometimes but not regularly found associated with 

 hyperglycemia. Chittenden and Lambert found it dependent upon a sup- 



