26 Mr. C. H. Kellaway. The Effect of Certain 



The bird on normal diet was killed on the same day. Its temperature was 

 normal and it was indistinguishable from other normal birds. At autopsy 

 there were necrotic patches in the pectoral muscles but the blood culture wa& 

 sterile. All the organs appeared to be normal except the pancreas which was 

 somewhat pale. The adrenals weighed 20'5 mgrm. The left gland, which 

 weighed 9'5 ragrm. contained 0'042 mgrm. of adrenaline and the right, which 

 weighed 11 mgrm., contained 0'192 mgrm. of cholesterol. 



These birds then, gave adrenaline and cholesterol values for the adrenals, 

 which lay within the limits of values obtained for other normal and poly- 

 neuritic pigeons. 



In neither of these pigeons was there any oedema and the administration of 

 adrenaline in this way did not appear either to hasten or retard the appear- 

 ance of symptoms in the bird on the milled rice diet. 



It seems unlikely that increased output of adrenaline, even supposing that 

 this could be shown to occur in pigeons fed on polished rice and suffering from 

 the consequent polyneuritis, could contribute to the development of cedema. 

 On the other hand the ill-nourished state of the tissues in such pigeons would 

 predispose them to oedema. 



Conclusions. 



1. McCarrison's observations on the occurrence of enlargement of the 

 adrenals with increased store of adrenaline in pigeons fed on polished rice, are 

 confirmed. 



2. These changes still occur when either protein or fat is added to the diet, 

 but are prevented by the addition of an adequate ration of yeast extract. 



3. The addition of such a ration of yeast extract to a basic diet of polished 

 rice with extra fat or protein, does not prevent the increase in the store of 

 adrenaline, though in this case the glands are not enlarged. 



4. It ie suggested that the enlargement of the adrenals is due partly to 

 congestion and oedema of the gland tissues and partly to the storage in the 

 cortex of the gland, of lipoids set free by the breaking down of body tissues. 

 The investigation' of the cholesterol-content of the adrenals of normal and 

 polyneuritic pigeons does not support this theory of lipoid storage, though a 

 well-marked hypercholesteraemia occurs in the latter. 



6. The artificial production of hypercholesteraemia in rabbits and pigeons by 

 feeding with cholesterol appears to be associated with a small increase in the 

 adrenaline-content of the suprarenals. 



6. The increased content of adrenaline in the suprarenals of birds on 

 deficient diets is attributed to diminished output of adrenaline as a result 

 of lowered body metabolism. 



