THE ADRENAL BODIES 199 



thomimetic amines, has been put upon the market and is 

 advertised under the name of " epinine " ("the synthetic 

 haemostatic "). It is claimed that this product " possesses the 

 characteristic physiological action of the extract of the supra- 

 renal gland, but is superior in that its purity is chemically 

 controlled, its stability is greater, and the rise of blood-pressure 

 it produces is more prolonged." According to Burridge, 

 epinine is capable of altering the reaction of the heart to 

 calcium salts in a solution perfusing that organ. When the 

 substance is acting the heart can remain active on a solution 

 of much lower calcium content than before. If the heart be 

 perfused with a solution of such low calcium content that the 

 beats cannot be recorded, the addition of traces of epinine to 

 the perfusing fluid causes long-continued good contractions. 

 Epinine can restart beating in hearts inhibited by potassium 

 salts. Larger doses render the heart less susceptible to certain 

 actions of calcium. 



There are now on the market several other substitutes for 

 adrenin. 



As bearing on the general question of the functions of 

 adrenin throughout the animal kingdom, attention must be 

 called to the discovery by Abel and Macht of adrenin in the 

 poison glands of a tropical toad (Bufo agua). The adrenin- 

 producing acini are limited to the glandular masses behind the 

 eye and surrounding the tympanum, known as the " parotoid " 

 glands, the chromaphil reaction being negative in all other 

 cutaneous glands. But in these glands there is no true chroma- 

 phil tissue. The cells themselves do not react to potassium 

 bichromate, nor does the poison-sac contain chromaphil 

 material until long after the disappearance of all epithelial 

 elements. The adrenin is probably the result of a change 

 produced in a mother substance which is very likely an amino- 

 acid. Wiechowski could not find adrenin in the glands of the 

 Bohemian toad, though he describes the secretion as chroma- 

 phil, that is to say, it is stained brown by salts of chromic 

 acid. Examples of tissues which give the chromaphil re- 

 action and yet do not contain adrenin are gradually accu- 

 mulating. 



In Bufo agua we have an example of the external secretion of 

 adrenin. It is not clear what effect the adrenin has upon the 

 poisonous activity of the other important ingredient 



