OCTOBEP. 11, 1907] 



SCIENCE 



47a 



normal conditions of the blood, the stomach 

 was found to secrete no gastric juice during 

 the course of the disease. Mikulicz's disease 

 consists of a benigTi chronic swelling of all 

 the salivary and lacrimal glands. 



2. In dogs with accessory stomachs (Paw- 

 low) the removal of all the salivary glands 

 abolishes permanently all gastric secretion. 



3. The gastric secretion is not started in 

 such dogs by feeding them with food masti- 

 cated and well insalivated by other normal 

 dogs. 



4. The abolished gastric secretion is tem- 

 porarily resumed by peritoneal or intravenous 

 injections of extracts made of salivary glands 

 of normal dogs. 



5. This temporary resumption takes place 

 even if the stomach be completely isolated 

 from the central nervous system. 



These observations justify the conclusion 

 that normal gastric secretion depends upon 

 the internal secretion of the salivary glands. 



The Influence of Diuresis upon the Toxic 

 Dose of Magnesium Salts : S. J. Meltzer. 

 A dose of 2 grams of magnesium sulphate 

 per kilo is absolutely fatal for the rabbit; the 

 animal dies of respiratory paralysis in less 

 than an hour. All the animals recovered 

 from the effects of such a dose, however, if an 

 intramuscular injection of diuretin was given 

 soon after the subcutaneous injection of the 

 magnesium salt. Diuretin is theobromin and 

 acts as a diuretic. The deeply narcotized 

 animals usually urinate about fifteen or 

 twenty minutes after its injection; by that 

 time, at least, the bladder can be felt to be 

 full. The largest dose that should be given 

 is about 0.1 gram. In larger doses diuretin 

 itself is liable to become toxic. 



When the dose of the magnesium sulphate 

 exceeded 2 grams per kilo, the injection of 

 diuretin alone could not save the animals. 

 But if, in addition to the diuretin, an intra- 

 venous infusion of 0.9 per cent, solution of 

 sodium chloride was instituted, animals re- 

 covered from doses of magnesium sulphate 

 amounting to as much as 2.25 grams per kilo. 

 When still larger doses of the magnesium 

 salt were given, the animals usually died of 



respiratory paralysis in less than fifteen min- 

 utes and before any diuresis could have been 

 effected. Animals recovered from doses as 

 large as 2.5 grams per kilo, if, in addition 

 to the diuretin injection and the venous trans- 

 fusion, artificial respiration was early resorted 

 to. For doses larger than 2.5 grams per kilo 

 all three measures together usually proved of 

 no avail; with this dose the early death of 

 the animal is usually due greatly to paralysis 

 of the heart. 



The Toxicity of Magnesium Nitrate when 



given hy Mouth: S. J. Meltzer. 



It is a daily experience that large doses of 

 magnesium sulphate can be taken by mouth 

 without any other than a purgative effect. 

 Meltzer has given to rabbits, by mouth, 7 

 grams or more of magnesium sulphate (in 

 molecular solution) per kilo, without any un- 

 favorable effects. The same applies also to 

 magnesium chloride and various other mag- 

 nesium salts. Meltzer has, however, dis- 

 covered that magnesium nitrate, when given 

 ty mouth, is capable of producing a toxic 

 effect like that of magnesium sulphate when 

 introduced subcutaneously. 



When a dose of 6 grams of magnesium 

 nitrate per kilo (in molecular solution) is 

 given by mouth to a rabbit, the animal soon 

 becomes paralyzed and narcotized, and dies 

 in from thirty to forty minutes of respiratory 

 paralysis. Fifteen or twenty minutes after 

 the administration, the appearance as well as 

 behavior of the animal is exactly like that of 

 one which received magnesium sulphate sub- 

 cutaneously (2 grams per kilo). A dose be- 

 tweeen 4 and 5 grams per kilo causes in 

 general the same symptoms, but in a gradual 

 way; the animal dies after five or six hours. 

 A dose of between 3 and 4 grams causes nO' 

 serious effects, but for six or eight hours after 

 its administration the animal remains in a 

 soporous state; it sits in one place with eyes 

 closed and head drooping; a loud noise wakes 

 it up and it attempts to move about or to 

 eat, but in a few minutes it falls asleep again. 



This toxicity of the magnesium nitrate is 

 apparently due to its greater absorption from 



