54 The Philippine Journal of Science i9i6 



WILL THE ADMINISTRATION OF APHOMORPHINE FACILITATE THE EX- 

 PULSION OF FOREIGN BODIES FROM THE TRACHEA? 



Since the vomiting center remains irritable even in the pres- 

 ence of marked respiratory obstruction, we proceeded to test if 

 the administration of apomorphine would facilitate the expulsion 

 of a foreign body from the trachea. With the hope of accom- 

 plishing this end, cylinders of reddened agar jelly cut by means 

 of different-sized cork borers were blown with the aid of glass 

 tubing into the trachea of dogs under light ether anaesthesia. 

 The animals were then allowed to come out from under the in- 

 fluence of the anaesthetic and given injections of apomorphine. 

 Seven experiments of this type were performed. One dog died 

 of asphyxia before the administration of apomorphine, and the 

 agar plug, on post-mortem examination, was found at the open- 

 ings of the two bronchi. Protocol 18 will serve as an illustration 

 of the other six experiments. 



Protocol 18. August 25, 1915. Male dog, 8.05 kilograms. 



10.35 a. m. Etherization was commenced. 



11.02 a. m. An agar cylinder, 6 millimeters in diameter by 40 millimeters 



long, was blown into the trachea with the aid of a glass 

 tube inserted past the vocal cords. 



11.03 a. m. The dog was released; he was restless and had moderate 



dyspnoea. 



11.04 a. m. A segment of agar cylinder, 7 millimeters long, was expelled 



by forced expiration. 



11.06 a. m. The animal was less restless. Respiration was noisy. 



11.08 a. m. Four cubic centimeters of a 2 per cent solution of apomorphine 

 hydrochloride were injected hypodermically. 



11.11 a. m. Emesis occurred. The vomitus contained agar cylinder about 

 10 millimeters long. 



11.20 a. m. Respiration was still noisy. Chloroform was injected directly 

 into the heart. Autopsy showed no traumatism of the 

 larynx and no agar in the trachea nor bronchi. The re- 

 maining segment of the agar was found in the stomach. 



From these six experiments it would appear that apomorphine 

 causes expulsion of agar cylinders introduced into the trachea. 

 However, we have not been able to determine that they were 

 still in the trachea at the time of vomiting. In 15 control 

 experiments, where the animals were chloroformed before re- 

 ceiving apomorphine, but still showed difficulty of respiration, 

 the agar was found in the trachea of only two dogs, while in 

 the others it was found in the stomach. The results of these 

 experiments, therefore, are unsatisfactory and not conclusive. 



