42 



Scientific Proceedings (47). 



able by salt solution. Moreover, it was very easily destroyed, 

 soon losing all or nearly all of its activity if the blood was 

 laked (e. g., by the addition of distilled water or saponin, by 

 prolonged shaking at 37 degrees, or by grinding in a mortar with 

 sand and salt solution, or with sand and serum). It was almost 

 completely destroyed by heating to 100 degrees for 10 minutes. 



Conclusion. — Atoxyl is probably transformed into a trypano- 

 cidal substance in the living body both by the blood and by the 

 liver (other organs were not tested). In tests in vitro the trans- 

 forming agent in liver may be readily distinguished from the 

 active agent in blood. 



32 (641) 



Parturient paresis and eclampsia. Similarities between these 



two diseases. 

 By DANIEL J. HEALY and JOSEPH H. KASTLE. 



[From the Laboratory 0} the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment 



Station.] 



In June, 1907, the attention of one of us (Healy) was called by 

 Dr. M. A. Scovell, Director of the Kentucky Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station, to parturient paresis in the dairy cow. Dr. Scovell's 

 intention was to have, if possible, the etiology cleared up. 



It proved impossible to take up the problem until one year 

 ago, and as our studies progressed, the similarity between par- 

 turient paresis and eclampsia became more and more evident. 

 They are both intoxications which occur suddenly just before, 

 during or immediately after labor. They are characterized by the 

 same clinical features, namely, suddenness of onset, loss of con- 

 sciousness, coma and similar febrile conditions. In both, the 

 urinalyses are the most important clinical features, and the 

 urinalyses in these two conditions are similar, namely, a dis- 

 turbance of the nitrogen distribution among the compounds con- 

 taining nitrogen, an increase of the ammonia excreted, the presence 

 of albumen, and microscopically the presence of hyaline, granular 

 and epithelial casts and blood cells. 



The finer pathological changes occurring in parturient paresis 

 have not been established, and as none of our cases died, we have 

 not had the opportunity of studying these changes. However, we 



