222 PROFESSOR RUTHERFORD ON THE 
Taste, XXX, 
Secretion of Bile per Kilogramme of - 
Grains per ; Body-weight per Hour. 
Total Dose in Falogminmidiee 
eed Body-weight. 
Before. After. 
Sod. benzoate —Ex. 63 . 20 1:320 0:223 cc. 0°646 ce. 
Ammon. ,, MrGl 20 0:737 0:247 ce. 0:544 ce. 
Result of Experiments with the Benzoates—Sodium benzoate and ammonium 
benzoate are both very powerful stimulants of the liver, but are not stimulants 
of the intestinal glands. It appears from the above experiments that the salt of 
sodium is a more powerful stimulant than that of ammonium; but the experi- 
ments are inconclusive on this point, because in Experiment 63 the sodium salt 
was assisted in its action by the previous administration of benzoic acid, and in 
addition the dose of the salt was greater in proportion to the size of the animal 
than in Experiment 64. Now that we have proved this action of these sub- 
stances on the liver of the dog, a similar action on the human liver will doubt- 
less be found; and probably the reason why it has hitherto escaped the attention | 
of physicians is, that these substances, being hepatic but not intestinal stimu- 
lants, the hypersecretion of bile induced by them has not been revealed so as 
to attract attention. But probably, if a dose of sodium or ammonium benzoate — 
were given at night, and a purely intestinal stimulant, such as magnesium sulphate, 
given in the morning, clear evidence would be found of the increased secretion 
of bile. These results, therefore, furnish a rational theory for the employment 
of the benzoates in congestion and some other affections of the liver. In view 
of the above discovery, we would ask the practical physician to consider the 
propriety of testing the effect of the benzoates in dysentery, for while they, like — 
ipecacuan, powerfully stimulate the liver, and not the intestinal glands, they, | 
unlike ipecacuan, induce no sickness or depression, but on the contrary, are — | 
nerve stimulants. Both the sodium and ammonium salts should be tried. It | 
may also be well to observe that it would be perhaps advisable to increase the — 
administration of the benzoates in ordinary catarrh, for they stimulate the liver 
as well as the bronchial glands, and the action of the liver in a common cold - 
generally becomes somewhat defective. 
One cannot leave the subject of benzoic acid without recalling WOHLER and 
KELLER’s well-known discovery, that when benzoic acid is introduced into the 
economy, it is eliminated by the kidneys entirely in the form of hippuric acid. 
The fact that the latter, when treated with boiling hydrochloric acid, splits up 
