536 



Scientific Proceedings (132) 



267 (2227) 



The effect of germanium dioxide in phenylhydrazine poisoning. 



By MEYER BODANSKY (by invitation). 



[From the Biochemical Laboratory, Department of Physiology and 

 Biochemistry, Cornell University Medical College, Ithaca, N. Y.] 



The relative ease with which alterations in blood volume may 

 be produced in rabbits, renders these animals unsuitable for the 

 study of certain phases of experimental anemia. On the other 

 hand, they are more easily maintained in proper nutritive con- 

 dition and therefore the course of recovery from anemia is more 

 uniform in these animals than in the case of dogs. 



In a number of experiments, phenylhydrazine, emulsified in 

 olive oil, was administered subcutaneously in doses sufficient to 

 destroy about two-thirds of the red corpuscles within a period 

 of a week. Germanium dioxide was administered to some of 

 these animals before this interval had elapsed to determine 

 whether any effect was produced in retarding the rate of 

 hemolysis. No such effect was observed. The animals receiv- 

 ing the germanium became as anemic as those not receiving it. 



Subsequently, a number of the rabbits received repeated in- 

 jections of germanium dioxide. The rate of increase of red 

 corpuscles in these animals was compared with that in animals 

 which were not receiving germanium dioxide. It appears from 

 our results, that germanium dioxide in moderate amounts does 

 not augment the rate of red cell regeneration in rabbits recover- 

 ing from phenylhydrazine poisoning. 



The germanium dioxide used in this work was supplied to us 

 by Professor L. M. Dennis of Cornell University, to whom we 

 are indebted. 



