Scientific Proceedings. 



(•3 0 67 



gators are of the opinion that it is caused by malnutrition of the 

 heart, due to the hemolytic effect of the bile. This is a priori im- 

 probable, since the fall of blood-pressure sets in immediately at 

 the beginning of the injection and the return to normal begins as 

 soon as the injection is stopped. The authors have, however, dis- 

 proved this theory by direct experiment. On quickly injecting 

 bile, the blood-pressure fell rapidly and the animal died in less 

 than two minutes. The blood which was obtained immediately 

 from the right ventricle did not show a trace of hemolysis. 



Autopsies of rabbits killed rapidly in the above-mentioned 

 manner showed in most cases nothing but dilated flabby hearts. 

 The failure of the heart can be caused either by the bile affecting 

 anatomically the heart muscle or the ganglia, or by a functional 

 process — by inhibiting the heart's action. It is known that bile 

 produces structural changes in muscles, and in nerve fibers and 

 nerve cells. But it is hardly conceivable that the structural changes 

 could be induced so speedily and it is still less conceivable that 

 structural restitution would occur with such rapidity as has been 

 observed to take place in the return of the blood-pressure. It is 

 therefore more probable that the bile exerts an inhibitory effect 

 upon the heart. 



In this connection the following experiments are of interest : 

 (1) The inhibitory effects of a stimulation of the peripheral end of 

 the vagus not only did not diminish during an effective injection 

 of bile, but in a few instances were distinctly improved. (2) The 

 inhibitory effect of the vagus was manifestly unimpaired shortly 

 before the death of the animal, when the blood-pressure was not 

 more than a few millimeters of mercury and the heart-beats were 

 scarcely perceptible. 



32 (78). "A report of feeding and injection experiments on 

 dogs after the establishment of the Eck fistula ": P. B. 

 HAWK. (Presented by ALFRED N. RICHARDS.) 



The fistulous opening between the portal vein and the inferior 

 vena cava was made in six dogs by Dr. J. E. Sweet. Observa- 

 tions were made as to the behavior of the animals when fed on a diet 

 of proteid food. One typical experiment may be summarized as 

 follows : During eleven days on a mixed diet there were no abnor- 

 mal symptoms. On the four succeeding days beef meal and milk 



