70 



Scientific Proceedings (80). 



finished drinking the water, the T wave which had been diphasic 

 in the first lead, became positive and remained positive for twelve 

 hours and eighteen minutes. During this time the patient had 

 not ingested any food or fluid. Twenty hours and fifteen minutes 

 after ingesting the water, he was given 300 c.c. of fluid. The form 

 of the electrocardiogram made immediately after this showed its 

 form to be the same as that of the control. 



The second patient is one suffering from hypertrophy of the 

 heart and arterial disease. He was given the same test as the 

 preceding patient. The control electrocardiogram showed in the 

 third lead a diphasic T wave, the positive part of it being of greater 

 amplitude than the negative part. Five minutes after the patient 

 had finished drinking the water (twenty minutes after the begin- 

 ning of the test), the T wave had become wholly negative. The 

 T wave remained negative for sixteen hours and thirty-five minutes, 

 when it became diphasic. This change occurred without the 

 patient having had additional fluid. On another occasion, this 

 patient was given two hot packs and showed the same variation 

 in the third lead. He lost 0.95 kg. He then drank 200 c.c. of 

 milk. The electrocardiogram now resumed the form of the 

 control. 



This test has been made on a normal man, in whom no quali- 

 tative change occurred. 



In the above tests the resistance of the patients varied from 

 800 to 1,300 ohms, except once when the resistance was 2,000 for 

 each of three leads and on two other occasions when it lay between 

 1,600 and 1,700 in each of three leads. 



Conclusion: Bleeding, hot packs, ingestion of water and fasting 

 may in certain persons affect the form of the electrocardiogram. 



44 (1222) 



The influence of ergotoxin on the pupil of the rabbit. 

 By T. S. Githens. 



[From the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology of the 

 Rockefeller Institute.] 

 In the very careful studies of Dale on the pharmacodynamic 

 action of ergotoxin, it is stated, without qualification, that this 



