Drugs on the Isolated Human Uterus. 



553 



decided way dissimilar from the contractions of the isolated uteri of ordinary 

 experimental mammals under similar conditions of experiment. Indeed the 

 readiness with which the human Fallopian tube passes into rhythmical 

 contraction makes it clear to me, after experience of other rhythmically 

 contractile tissues under the same conditions, that the Fallopian tube possesses 

 a high degree of spontaneous rhythmicity. 



Several experiments which have been made have shown conclusively that 

 adrenine has a powerful motor effect on the human Fallopian tube. 



The effect of adrenine is shown in fig. 1 ; in this case it produced a rise of 

 tonus with conversion of slower rhythmic contractions into more rapid 

 smaller ones. 



Fig. 2 is shown because it illustrates (1) what I have found in four experi- 

 ments, the somewhat surprising fact that pituitrin has no pronounced effect 

 on the human Fallopian tube ; (2) because it shows the continued vitality of 

 the organ after it had remained for 30 hours in cold Locke's solution, and the 

 still normal response to epinine. 



That the vitality of the uterus is great under certain conditions of keeping 

 is a fact of which I was previously aware, because from unpublished experi- 

 ments made in this laboratory in conjunction with Dr. Hudston, it was found 

 that, after the guinea-pig's uterus had been kept in Locke's solution, at 

 temperatures of from 3 to 7° C, it still may execute rhythmic movements 

 when placed in warm oxygenated Locke's solution, after having remained 

 quiescent at the low temperature for as long a period as seven days. 



In regard to the uterus proper I have as yet obtained only one for experi- 

 ment. This uterus was removed from a patient, non-pregnant and about 

 40 years of age. The uterus was removed for disease of one Fallopian tube 

 along with a partial fibroid condition of the uterus itself. The other 

 Fallopian tube and part of the uterus was apparently healthy. The latter 

 was cut into strips and tested in the usual way. 



The rhythmic movements of the uterine strips were much slower and more 

 infrequent than those of the Fallopian tubes. 



Fig. 3 shows the effect of adrenine 1 in 250,000 on a strip of uterine muscle. 

 The strip had shown contractions lasting from about 30 to 60 seconds at 

 intervals of from 3 to 5 minutes. At the end of one of those contractions 

 adrenine was added to the bath (fig. 3). This produced a strong tonic con- 

 traction with production of superimposed smaller waves. Other strips which 

 were tested gave a similar result. 



It was interesting to compare, for further guidance, the effect of the same 

 concentration of adrenine on the Fallopian tube belonging to the same uterus. 

 Fig. 4 shows the result obtained. 



