RESPIRATION. 391 



going to and leaving the organ and determine the amount of blood 

 passing through the organ in a given time. 



The British Committee,, composed of Drs. Gotch, Barcroft, Star- 

 ling and Brodie, have reported 2 as follows on The Metabolic Balance- 

 sheet of Individual Tissues : 



1. The amount of oxygen taken up by the heart varied with 

 the activity of the organ. Adrenalin, atropine and barium chloride 

 increased the oxygen intake of the heart; stimulation of the vagus or 

 administration of pilocarpine, chloroform or potassium chloride 

 reduced the quantity of oxygen which the heart required. 



2. When the chorda tympani was stimulated and saliva flowed 

 the oxygen exchange was increased three or four fold. 



3. Pancreas. Intravenous injection of secretin in the dog caused 

 a three-fold increase in the metabolism of the pancreas, coupled with 

 a flow of pancreatic juice. 



4. Intestine. The metabolism was much increased during ab- 

 sorption, whether of water or peptone (dog). 



5. Kidney. Increase in the flow of urine induced by the injec- 

 tion of salts caused a three-fold increase in the oxygen consumption of 

 the kidney, whether perfused through the renal portal vein or through 

 the renal artery. 



6. Skeletal Muscle. They verified the co-efficient of oxidation 

 as determined by Chauveau and Kaufmann. The production of lactic 

 acid under anaerobic conditions varied with the time and was increased 

 by heat and stimulation. 



They obtained some results of general application from the study 

 of the metabolism of individual organs : 



7. Increased vascularity does not of itself cause any change in 

 the oxygen consumption. This has been shown in the heart, salivary 

 glands and the kidney. 



8. Increased vascularity is associated with increased production of 

 carbonic acid in such a way as to suggest the conclusion that some 

 product of the metabolic activity of the organ, probably not C0 2 itself, 

 causes vascular dilatation during increased functional activity. This 

 has been shown in the heart and salivary glands. 



9. A comparison of the "co-efficient of oxidation" (the quantity 

 of oxygen used up per gram of tissue per minute) varies for different 

 organs when at rest. It is much higher for the glandular organs than 

 for skeletal muscle. 



2 British Medical Journal, Sept. 12, 1908. 



