328 
tissues was greatly decreased in pancreatic 
diabetes and accordingly suggested that the 
defective oxidation in this type of diabetes 
was due to the decrease in catalase. If the de- 
fective oxidation in diabetes is due to the de- 
crease in the catalase of the tissues and if it 
can be shown that the administration of al- 
cohol produces an increase in the catalase of 
the tissues due to the stimulation of the liver 
to an increased output of this enzyme into the 
blood, then it would seem probable that the 
helpful effect of alcohol in diabetes is due to 
the increase in catalase with resulting in- 
crease in oxidation. 
Dogs were used in the investigation. The 
catalase in 0.5 ¢@.c. of the blood of the animals 
was determined by adding this amount of 
blood to 50 e.c. of hydrogen peroxide in a 
bottle at 22° C. and as the oxygen gas was 
liberated, it was conducted through a rubber 
tube to an inverted burette previously filled 
with water. After the volume of gas thus 
_ collected in ten minutes had been reduced to 
standard atmospheric pressure, the resulting 
volume was taken as a measure of the amount 
of catalase in the 0.5 ¢.c. of blood. The mate- 
rial was shaken at a fixed rate of one hundred 
and eighty double shakes per minute during 
the determinations. 
Twenty-five c.c. per kilo of body weight of 
45 per cent. ethyl alcohol were introduced into 
the stomachs of the animals by means of a 
stomach tube. Previous to as well as at 15- 
minute intervals after the introduction of al- 
cohol, the catalase in 0.5 ¢.c. of blood taken 
from the external jugular was determined. 
Fifteen minutes after the introduction of al- 
cohol into the stomach, it was found that the 
catalase of the blood was increased by about 
30 per cent., after 30 minutes by about 50 per 
cent., and after 45 minutes the catalase of the 
blood of some of the dogs was increased by as 
much as 100 per cent. 
After etherizing other dogs the abdominal 
wall was opened and the catalase of the blood 
taken directly from the liver or from one of 
the hepatic veins as well as from the jugular 
was determined. It was found that the blood 
from the liver was richer in catalase by ten to 
SCIENCE 
[N. S. Vou. XLVIII. No. 1239 
fifteen per cent. than the blood from any other 
part of the body. This was taken to mean that 
there is a continuous output of catalase from 
the liver into the blood and that this catalase 
is taken to the tissues to be used presumably 
in the oxidative processes. After the intro- 
duction of the alcohol into the stomach of 
the animal, it was found that the catalase in 
the blood taken directly from the liver was in- 
ereased much more rapidly than that taken 
from a systemic vein such as the jugular, 
hence the aleohol must have been stimulating 
the liver to an increased output of catalase and 
in this manner producing an increase in the 
catalase of the blood and hence of the tissues. 
Aleohol was also administered to dogs 
rendered diabetic by the removal of the pan- 
creas, and it was found that the catalase of 
the blood and hence of the tissues of these 
animals was increased. It is probable that the 
helpful effect of alcohol in states of depression 
and in convalescence as well as the exhilara- 
ting effect on normal subjects is due to the 
stimulation of the liver to an increased out- 
put of catalase with resulting increase in oxi- 
dation. 
The conclusion is drawn that the adminis- 
tration of alcohol to diabetics is helpful be- 
cause it stimulates the liver to an increased 
output of catalase which is carried by the 
blood to the tissues where it facilitates the 
oxidative processes with resulting increased 
oxidation of sugar and decreased acidosis. 
W. E. Burce 
PHYSIOLOGICAL LABORATORY OF THE 
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 
SCIENCE 
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Science, publishing the official notices and pro- 
ceedings of the American Association for 
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