776 HEXKY G. BARBOUR 



were also unable to produce any change in the total metabolism by such 

 doses. 



Some Other Convulsants Camphor. Edsa 11 and Means, also Hig- 

 gins and Means, have observed a slight increase in the total metabolism 

 in man after 0.4-0.5 gram subcutaneous injections of camphor. The only 

 change observed by these investigators in the alveolar carbon dioxid tension 

 was a slight diminution in one case. This accords with Wieland's find- 

 ing that camphor lowers the respiratory threshold for carbon dioxid in 

 rabbits. The latter observed a similar result from coriamyrtin (a picro- 

 toxin-like convulsant). 



Since camphor is excreted in the urine in combination with glycuronic 

 acid (Schmicdeberg and Hans Meyer) it is of some importance that this 

 defensive mechanism should be intact when the drug is administered in 

 large amounts; its toxicity is said to be higher when glycuronic acid 

 formation is disturbed through starvation or 'deprivation of oxygen. In 

 Chiray's experiments glycuronic acid was produced by administering 

 camphor by mouth or the injection of camphorated oil in dogs, rabbits, 

 guinea pigs and man. The reaction reached a maximum at about the 

 third hour. With marked insufficiency of the liver there was no response 

 to the ingest ion of 0.5-1.0 gram of camphor. 



Camphor administration to dogs by Mandel and Jackson resulted in 

 decreased glycuronic acid production after glucose feeding, meat caus- 

 ing an increase. A proteinogenous origin of glycuronic acid was thus 

 indicated. 



Santonin. The increase in uric acid excretion after santonin is 

 attributed by Abl to intestinal irritation. 



Body Temperature. Many so-called "convulsant poisons," including 

 strychnin, santonin, picrotoxin, camphor, phenol, etc., have been shown 

 by Harnack to produce characteristic changes in the heat regulation. The 

 salient result is a fall in body temperature. Small doses cause in- 

 creased heat loss and a slightly smaller heat production. 



Larger doses cause increased metabolism, through muscular action, 

 (both heat production and loss being thus increased). Paralytic doses 

 diminish the heat production very greatly. 



The temperature accordingly varies, but the smallest and the largest 

 doses lower it decidedly. The heat loss is seen especially in small and 

 young animals, larger animals showing some temperature rise with the 

 medium doses. 



Curare. This poison as is well known paralyzes all voluntary motor 

 nerve endings. Asphyxia therefore results by the interference thus pro- 

 duced with the external respiratory mechanism. The salient feature of 

 its action upon the metabolism is the glycosuria, discovered by Claude 

 Bernard. Penzoldt and Fleischer first called attention to the importance 

 of asphyxia as a causative factor. Araki pointed out its relation to the 



