882 THOMAS ORDWAY AND ARTHUR KNUDSON 



received the heavy exposure over the intestine. In some of the rabbits 

 a slight increase in non-protein nitrogen was also noted. 



A number of investigations on the influence of radioactive substances 

 and x-rays on uric acid and purin base metabolism have led to the gen- 

 eral belief that these agents lead to an increased elimination of uric 

 acid and purin bases, endogenous as well as exogenous. Gudzent. and 

 Lowenthal believe that radium emanation has a very pronounced effect oil 

 purin metabolism and is due to the activation of those enzymes re- 

 sponsible for the building up or cleavage of uric acid. Purin metab- 

 olism is altered according to whether synthesizing or cleavage enzyme 

 action predominates. Wilke and Krieg report increases of uric acid excre- 

 tion with ingestion of radioactive water. Kikkoji obtained a similar result 

 with water impregnated with radium emanation and in one of his cases 

 observed- an increase of ninety-five per cent. Kaplan reports that ingestion 

 of alkaline radium water increases the excretion of uric acid and purin 

 bases. Abl also observed increased elimination of endogenous uric acid by 

 use of thorium-x. 



The mechanism of these effects is not established. Gudzent (a) (d) 

 claims to have induced a complete and lasting disappearance of blood uric 

 acid by inhalation of air containing two or four Mache units of emanation 

 per liter. In apparent confirmation of this fact he noted in vitro experi- 

 ments an increase in the solubility and gradual decomposition of sodium 

 urate by radium D, which is relatively very inactive and is a further decom- 

 position product of radium emanation. Falta and Zehner claim that 

 thorium-x also increases the solubility of urates and destroys uric acid. 

 Mesernitzky(&)(e) reported that radium emanation can destroy trioxy- 

 purin (uric acid) very well but that it had slight effect on dioxypurin 

 (xanthin) and no effect on oxypurin (hypoxanthin). He also claims that 

 uric acid in the blood is decreased under the influence of radium emanation 

 and that there is an increased excretion of uric acid in the urine. Other 

 observers have been unable to confirm these results. Kerb and Lazarus were 

 unable to detect any influence of radium emanation upon sodium urate. 

 Using radiation from radium emanation in very large amounts Knaffl-Lenz 

 and Weichowski likewise failed to note any increase in the solubility or 

 decomposition of sodium urate. Kerb and Lazarus were of the opinion that 

 the increase in solubility and decomposition of sodium urate noted by 

 Gudzent is to be attributed to bacterial contamination or accidental intro- 

 duction of small amounts of alkali, either of which conditions could cause 

 decomposition of the urate. 



Schultz could detect no change in the activity of the uricolytic enzyme 

 of the liver and kidney under the influence of radium emanation but did 

 observe a ten to twenty per cent increase in the formation of uric acid 

 in autolyzing spleen under these conditions. This latter observation 

 and that of Kehrer (which bespeaks a mobilization of uric acid in the 



