350 MATHEWS. 



That atropine does act on the gland cell is, perhaps, indicated 

 also by the action of its great antagonist pilocarpine. Pilocar- 

 pine, namely, produces a secretion of sweat two to three weeks 

 after cutting the sciatic of the cat, when the nerve is totally in- 

 active/' ^' ^•'' Luchsinger,^" in commenting on this, says that 

 this secretion must be due either (i) to action on the secretory 

 cells themselves, or (2) to the non-degeneration of the nerve 

 ends. The second possibility is impossible since these nerve 

 ends are not provided with nuclei. A similar secretion may be 

 obtained in the dog's salivary glands, fourteen days after cut- 

 ting both chorda and sympathetic. The evidence is here not so 

 conclusive since the submaxillary ganglion does not degenerate. 

 In the sweat secretion, however, I believe the evidence is fairly 

 strong that pilocarpine does act directly on the gland cell. It 

 thus strengthens the evidence that atropine also acts on the cell. 



There is also reason for believing that atropine acts in some 

 manner on the capillary wall, thus reducing, or preventing the 

 transudation of lymph. It might, in this way effect secretion 

 from glands. This possibility has not received the attention it 

 deserv^es."^ 



The evidence that atropine checks lymph transudation is as 

 follows : 



If atropine permitted the transudation of lymph normally en- 

 suing on vaso-dilation, it would be expected that, after its injec- 

 tion, stimulation of the chorda would render the submaxillary 

 gland cedematous, since fluid no longer passes into the secre- 

 tion. Quite the contrary is the fact. I have repeatedly stimu- 

 lated the gland all day, after the injection of atropine, w^ithout 

 producing a trace of oedema. Heidenhain ^"^ himself says : 

 " After atropine on stimulation of the chorda tympani no in- 



* Heidenhain' s reasons for rejecting the possibility that atropine checks lymph 

 transudation and thus secretion will be found in Hermann's Handbuch. A strik- 

 ing instance of failure to consider this possibility is the following quotation from 

 Langley : 



"Atropine prevents the stimulation of the hilum from producing a secretion. 

 Nicotine does not do this, therefore, atropine acts upon structures more peripheral 

 than those acted upon by the nicotine. Since nicotine acts on nerve cells, and 

 atropine does not act on gland cells, atropine must produce its paralyzing result by 

 action on the secretory nerve endings." 



