\ 



92 Scientific Proceedings (105). 



diastatic activity of the blood, the fluctuations in the level of 

 the blood sugar, and the sugar excreted in the urine after the 

 administration of a definite amount of glucose by mouth. The 

 diastatic activity was determined by the technic of Myers and 

 Killian, 1 the blood sugar was estimated by the Lewis-Benedict 

 method as modified by Myers and Bailey; 2 the Benedict-Oster- 

 berg 3 technic was utilized in the determination of the urinary 

 sugar. It was early appreciated that fasting for twelve hours 

 increased the tolerance for carbohydrate, so that glucose tolerance 

 curves carried out on a fasting stomach did not truly represent 

 the individual's carbohydrate assimilation limit. In our series 

 the patients received in the morning, a standard meal which con- 

 sisted of one egg in any form, two slices of bread, a cup of coffee, 

 without sugar or milk, or a glass of water. Two hours later, the 

 patient voluntarily emptied the bladder, and then received about 

 100 c.c. of water to drink. One hour after this, a specimen of 

 blood and a specimen of urine were obtained. These represent 

 the control specimens. The glucose was then administered by 

 mouth in a 50 per cent, solution, 1.75 gm. per kilogram of body 

 weight. At hourly intervals the specimens of blood and urine 

 were obtained, and in these and in the control the sugar was 

 estimated. The diastatic activity was determined only on the 

 control specimen of blood. 



The 23 cases presented are from a series of 275 patients ex- 

 amined, representing normal and various pathological conditions. 



The control specimen of blood represents the level of blood 

 sugar 3 hours after the standard meal. In normal cases it varied 

 from 0.09 to 0.10 per cent.; in dyspituitarism of the Frolich type, 

 in acromegaly and in Addison's disease a hypoglycemia was noted. 

 In hyperthyroidism, however, the blood sugar ranged from 0.11 to 

 0.13 per cent. In normal cases the urinary sugar excretion was 

 found to be 20 to 30 mgs. for the control hour; the output in 

 dyspituitarism, acromegaly and in Addison's disease was dimin- 

 ished; the hyperthyroids excreted from 24 to 95 mgs. 



Following the intake of glucose, the blood sugar in normal 



1 Myers and Killian, Jour. Biol. Chem., 191 7, XXIX, 179. 



■ Myers and Bailey, Jour. Biol. Chem., 1916, XXIV, 147. 



* Benedict and Osterberg, Jour. Biol. Chem., 1918, XXXIV, 195. 



