198 PROFESSOR RUTHERFORD ON THE 
Results of Experiments with Sodium Sulphate.—In addition to being a power- 
ful intestinal stimulant, it is also a moderately powerful hepatic stimulant. 
The positive character of this result is important, because it is well known that 
the waters of Carlsbad have a cholagogue action, and although they contain, in 
addition to sodium sulphate, sodium carbonate, sodium chloride, potassium 
sulphate, and small quantities of other substances, sodium sulphate is the prin 
cipal salt, and to it the cholagogue action is doubtless chiefly due. 
Sodium sulphate, however, has for a considerable time been, in practical 
medicine, almost entirely superseded by magnesium sulphate, on account of 
its more agreeable taste, but it must in future be borne in mind that while 
sodium sulphate stimulates the liver, magnesium sulphate does not. (See 
Experiments 18 and 19.) 
ACTION OF PoTASSIUM SULPHATE. 
Potassium sulphate is sometimes employed as a purgative agent, but no 
mention is made in the books of its having any action on the liver. Dr Wap 
of Birmingham, however, informed us that he finds this substance a cholagogue 
in man, and at his request we tested its action on the liver of the dog by our 
method. 
Experiment 49. Dog that had fasted seventeen hours. Weight 17 kilo- 
grammes (fig. 49).—23 cc. bile and 16 cc. water injected into duodenum at 8. 
The same with 124 grains potassium sulphate heated to 37° C. injected at p. 
Experiment 49, 
Secre- | Secretion i Secre- | Secretion 
tion of | of bile per || tion of | of bile per 
bile |kilogramme|| bile | kilogramme 
| per jofdog: per} per |of dog: per 
Has" hour. 15” hour 
Coan | ce. | 
1°45 | | 1:42 | 
1°40 | es 
1:35 | | 1:40 | 
1°40 1°42 
1:32 | 1°35 
b | 1°42 
1°32 ) | 1°20 
1°32 ; | 1°35 
1°40 i’ 315 ce. | 1-20 
é ’ a 1°32 | 1°45 
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 pee | 1'27 
Fig. 49.—Secretion of bile before and after potassium sulphate. 24 ce. 1°40 ee 
bile and 16 ce. water injected into duodenum at 6. The same with ee 1°22 
124 grains potassium sulphate, heated to 37° C., injected at p. 1-42 1 10 0266 ce. 
1:20 1°02 
1°52 | 
Sebi | 
NeEcropsy.—Small intestine contained 137 cc. greenish fluid with mucous 
