444 INTERNAL SECRETION 



Timofeew showed that the watery extract of healthy kidneys 

 (emulsions and filtrates), when introduced into the blood-stream 

 of healthy animals, increases the flow of chyle from the thoracic 

 duct to as much as eight to twenty-two times the normal. Normal 

 blood serum, whether obtained from the systemic arteries and 

 veins or from the renal vein, and blood from animals which have 

 undergone double nephrectomy and are dying of urasmia, have 

 no lymphagogue action. In animals in which only one renal 

 artery or orfe ureter is ligatured, the flow of chyle from the 

 thoracic duct is increased to twice or even eight times the normal ; 

 and the serum from animals such as these has a marked lympha- 

 gogue action upon normal animals. 



Kast (1902) has already pointed out that the blood of indi- 

 viduals with nephritic oedema contains a lymphagogue substance. 

 Starling recognized that the cedematous fluid of persons with 

 kidney disease was a strong lymphagogue. Blanck discovered 

 (1906) that, if the serum or cedematous fluid from rabbits with 

 uranian nephritis is injected into rabbits which develop nephritis 

 without oedema after the exhibition of chromium or aloin, the 

 latter animals become cedematous. According to Timofeew, the 

 serum of nephrectomized animals is markedly toxic to healthy 

 animals, but it does not increase the flow of chyle. It is said 

 that sera from individuals with parenchymatous nephritis mani- 

 fest both properties when exhibited in man ; while, according to 

 Strauss, sera from individuals with interstitial nephritis have a 

 toxic property, but Kast does not believe it to be lymphagogue. 

 Timofeew assumes that the lymphagogue action of the serum 

 depends upon the presence of nephroblaptins, its toxic properties 

 upon the presence of other substances. Non-albuminous oedema 

 may occur without the participation of the kidneys, brought about 

 by the products of the decomposition of other organs which also 

 possess a lymphagogue action. 



These results require further confirmation, but they suggest 

 that, where pathological changes take place in the kidneys, sub- 

 stances are supplied to the blood which may have a special 

 significance to the organism. One thing is clear, however, and 

 that is that these experiments supply no proof of a physiological 

 internal secretion on the part of the kidneys. 



The following observations have an interest in this connection. 

 The experiments of J. R. Bradford (1899) showed that striking 

 changes in metabolism may be produced by the reduction of the 

 renal parenchyma. My own experiments, which have extended 

 over a period of years, but have not as yet been published, have 

 yielded interesting results. In dogs in which the nitrogen- 

 balance was maintained for weeks, and whose daily excretion of 

 urine was ascertained, the excision of a wedge-shaped portion of 

 the kidney, equal to about a quarter of the organ, led to the 

 following remarkable change, which was more pronounced after 



