Reversal of the Cardiac Mechanism. 13 



rate of the loss of creatine appears to closely parallel that of the 

 total nitrogen. 



Still an added factor in this loss of creatine from the body is 

 the excretion of creatinine. In experiments where the creatine 

 of the urine plus that of the tissue does not entirely account for 

 the creatine which should normally be present in the body, it is 

 found that a considerable amount of creatinine has been eliminated 

 in the urine, e. g., in the case of a comparatively long fast. When 

 this creatinine in terms of creatine is added to the creatine of the 

 tissue and urine, this total exceeds the total normal body creatine 

 by about 10 per cent., this excess probably representing the amount 

 of creatine and creatinine formation. It would seem probable 

 from these data that during starvation, the creatine storehouse was 

 depleted not only by a loss of creatine in the urine, but also by the 

 loss of creatinine. 



It has been assumed for some time that the creatine appearing 

 in the urine during starvation and in various pathological condi- 

 tions was derived from the creatine of the muscle, and measured 

 the amount of muscle disintegration, though so far as the authors 

 are aware this point has never been conclusively demonstrated. 

 In our experiments, we have found that when the weight of the 

 creatine excreted in the urine was added to the weight of creatine 

 still remaining in the body after the period of starvation, the 

 amount of creatine was only slightly below that which would 

 have been found in the body had the animal been killed prior to 

 starvation. This would seem to demonstrate that the creatine 

 appearing in the urine in starvation was derived from the creatine 

 of the muscle. 



9 (705) 



Reversal of the cardiac mechanism. 



By Horatio B. Williams and Henry James. 



[From the Physiological Laboratory of Columbia University, New 



York.] 



The subject of investigation, H. M., came under observation at 

 the Vanderbilt Clinic July 15, 1912. He has had a persistent 



