AMINES DERIVED FROM PROTEIN 27 



stance, the output of the heart is increased, the non-pregnant cat's 

 uterus relaxes, the pregnant cat's uterus contracts, the salivary gland 

 is stimulated to secretion. 



p-Hydroxy-phenyl-ethylamine differs from adrenaline in causing 

 little vaso-constriction when applied locally to a mucous surface, and 

 in being hardly toxic. Thus 100 mg. given hypodermically to a cat, 

 produced all the symptoms of intense stimulation of sympathetic 

 nerves, but no after-effects and no glycosuria. 



Since p-hydroxy-phenyl-ethylamine is formed from tyrosine by the 

 action of faecal bacteria, it doubtless occurs in the alimentary canal and 

 might therefore perhaps play a part in certain pathological states in 

 which a high blood-pressure is the most prominent symptom. A 

 pressor substance has been found in the urine by Abelous and termed 

 urohypertensine (perhaps identical with isoamylamine) and Bain 

 [1909, 1910] obtained from normal urine a pressor base, giving 

 Mi lion's reaction ; the latter base was not isolated in a state of purity 

 and its identity with p-hydroxyphenylethylamine, suggested by Bain, 

 is very doubtful. Bain found that the amount of this base was 

 diminished in the urine from gouty patients and particularly in that 

 from patients with a high blood pressure ; on the other hand it did 

 not disappear from normal urine during a milk diet or when medicinal 

 doses of antiseptics were administered. 



On account of the possible clinical significance of p-hydroxy-phenyl- 

 ethylamine, as indicated above, Ewins and Laidlaw [1910, 3] have in- 

 vestigated the fate of this amine in the organism. They found that 

 when given by the mouth to dogs, something like one-half the amount 

 is excreted in the urine as p-hydroxy-phenylacetic acid ; the other 

 half remains unaccounted for. The conversion of the amine into the 

 acid readily takes place in the perfused rabbit's liver, and also to some 

 extent in the perfused isolated uterus, but in the isolated heart the 

 amine, when perfused, was completely destroyed and no p-hydroxy- 

 phenylacetic acid could be isolated. 



Other papers of clinical interest are those by Harvey [1911], 

 who induced renal disease and vascular sclerosis in rabbits by pro- 

 longed intravenous and oral administration of p-hydroxy-phenyl- 

 ethylamine, by Clark [1910] and by Findlay [1911] who examined 

 the effect of this amine on man. Clark found that large doses (30- 

 200 mg.) given by the mouth generally gave a slight rise of blood 

 pressure lasting for several hours, and that 20-60 mg., given sub- 

 cutaneously, produced in the healthy subject a considerable rise of 

 blood pressure, lasting for about twenty minutes. The suggestion by 



