Relation of Adrenals to Tuberculin Poisoning. 41 
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The relation of the adrenals to tuberculin poisoning. 
By JAMES P. ATKINSON and OHAS. B. FITZPATRICK. 
[From the Chemical and Research Laboratories. Department of 
Health f City of New York.] 
A paper which we read before this society in the spring of 
19 10 showed that "old" tuberculin or the filtered fluid from a 
culture of B. tuberculosis caused a marked arterial depression in 
the dog when injected into the femoral vein. This same tuberculin 
if heated above 105 0 lost this power of depression. 
We have recently found that commercial adrenalin prepara- 
tions and saline extracts of the experimental dog's freshly removed 
adrenal gland prevented this depression when mixed with tuber- 
culin and the mixture injected intravenously. 
Samples of tuberculin, which caused marked drops in the blood 
pressure, when mixed with a sufficient amount of an emulsion of 
the dog's own adrenals and injected intravenously, caused no fall 
in the blood pressure, thus showing an antagonistic action between 
tuberculin and the adrenals. The intravenous injection of samples 
of tuberculin containing the active depressor substance, after the 
adrenals had been removed, caused a drop with a more gradual 
recovery to the previous pressure level, than when the adrenals 
had been left intact. The intravenous injection into the dog with 
both adrenals removed of an emulsion of its own adrenals caused 
a return of the blood pressure to and above the normal level. 
Further light is apparently thrown on the nature of the poisons 
of the tubercle bacillus as found in tuberculin by the foU owing 
observations. 
A. Four tuberculous guinea pigs were injected with a mixture 
of .5 c.c. of "P. D. & Co. Adrenaline Chloride 1-1000." Three 
of the pigs died within 18 hours and one within 36 hours. One 
control, a tuberculous pig, receiving .5 c.c. tuberculin without 
adrenalin died within 18 hours. The other control, a normal 
guinea pig, receiving .5 c.c. of the adrenalin chloride "P. D. & Co. 
1-1000" did not apparently suffer any harmful results or show 
any noticeable toxic symptoms. 
Four tuberculous guinea pigs injected with a mixture of .5 c.c. 
