88 



Scientific Proceedings (28). 



50 (306) 



The destruction of strophanthin in the animal organism. 



By ROBERT A. HATCHER and HAROLD C. BAILEY. 



[From the Laboratory of Pharmacology of Cornell University 

 Medical College, ,] 



Strophanthin is toxic in much smaller doses when injected into 

 a vein or subcutaneously than when given by the mouth. 



Dilute solutions injected slowly or at intervals are approxi- 

 mately as toxic as stronger solutions injected at once. 



Strophanthin is not readily destroyed by the liver ; no differ- 

 ence could be observed in the amounts required to cause death 

 from slow injections of dilute solutions into the superior mesenteric, 

 and into the femoral vein. 



Peptic and activated pancreatic digests destroy only small 

 amounts of the poison, not enough to account for more than a 

 small part of the difference in toxicity by the mouth. Bile exerts 

 little influence. 



Ten times that amount of strophanthin which is fatal by the 

 vein may disappear from the dog's intestine in an hour and a 

 half without proving fatal, the portion remaining in the lumen of 

 the intestine retains its toxicity, but death may result promptly (in 

 thirty-eight minutes) from the introduction into the duodenum of 

 an amount but slightly exceeding that necessary to cause death 

 after oral administration. 



The poison may be destroyed in part during its passage 

 through the walls of the intestine, but since part of even a very 

 small dose is absorbed unchanged, it seems fair to conclude that 

 certain cells alone are concerned in the destruction while others 

 permit it to pass through. 



The cat and dog react to similar doses, the rabbit will stand 

 somewhat larger doses administered subcutaneously and vastly 

 larger doses by the mouth ; this suggests that histological differ- 

 ences may furnish a clue to the cells concerned in the destruction. 



One milligram of an active strophanthin given by mouth, per 

 kg. of cat, has proved fatal, while a man has been given about as 

 much (one hundred and fifty milligrams total) on two days. 



