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Scientific Proceedings (123). 



loop plus any dye that could be rinsed out of the intestinal mucosa 

 examined colorimetrically indicated a marked absorption (in some 

 cases as high as 60 or more per cent.) at the end of an hour. When 

 the contents of the loops containing the dye with the saline solu- 

 tion were examined it was noted at once that the volume of fluid 

 in the loop was greatly increased due to osmotic drawing of fluid 

 into the lumen. A quantitative determination of the dye content 

 in these loops showed that over 90 per cent, of the dye had been 

 unabsorbed at the end of an hour. On dipping the mucosa of each 

 loop in weak alkali a striking picture was obtained. Whereas the 

 normal or control loops became intensely red indicating the pas- 

 sage of dye into the villi and the circulation, the appearance of the 

 other loop (the "saline loop") was very pale and showed very 

 little red color, thus indicating the very poor absorption of the dye. 



Following the above experiments with phenolsulphonphtha- 

 lein, an extensive investigation was undertaken on the effects of 

 saline purgatives on the absorption of a large number of drugs. 

 Details will be published in the full paper. In this place suffice 

 it to say that representatives of various classes of drugs were 

 tested. Among these may be mentioned digitalis, various anti- 

 pyretics such as salicylates, acetanilid, and antipyrine, etc., a 

 number of salts such as urotropin, iodides, etc., a number of opi- 

 ates, various alkaloids, bichloride of mercury and other substances. 

 It was found that almost every kind of drug that was examined 

 was delayed more or less in its absorption by the previous and 

 even by the simultaneous administration of sodium sulphate, mag- 

 nesium sulphate and other saline laxatives. These effects were 

 determined in some cases by physiological tests and in other cases 

 by chemical examination. In case of non-toxic drugs the obser- 

 vations were corroborated by tests on human volunteers. The 

 studies on the influence of saline purgatives on the phenolsul- 

 phonphthalein kidney function test are to appear in a forthcoming 

 number of the Journal of Urology. A study of other classes of 

 drugs in this respect will appear in the Bulletin of the Johns Hop- 

 kins Hospital. 



