8 
purposes of injection, so that the physician or surgeon might be 
insured against the possibility of securing a solution of unknown 
strength. 
Deteriorated solutions and preparations made from the natural 
base of uncertain purity have not been the only sources of trouble. 
Not long since, synthetic dl-adrenalin was placed upon the market 
and the most positive claims made in its behalf. It was represented 
as having even a little more pronounced action than natural 1-adren- 
alin, and these claims were supported by what seemed to be researches 
by expert pharmacologists. Herein will be found data which fail to 
coincide with the claims made for dl-adrenalin. The investigation 
has been carried on in view of the fact that physiological methods 
are necessary in assaying adrenalin-like bodies. A comparison of 
the relative values of various methods has also been made, together 
with an effort to improve if possible these methods. 
HISTORICAL. 
The early discovery of the vaso-constrictor action of the adrenal 
extract by Oliver and Schafer (61) and by Szymonowicz and Cybul- 
skiego (70 and 71) introduces an epoch in physiological science, the 
development of the chemistry and physiology of which is scarcely 
less interesting than that represented by the modern theory of 
physiological oxidations. 
Abel and others, by their extensive chemical research, opened up 
the way for the discovery of the active principle which was finally 
separated by Takamine and by Aldrich. Soon after enough data 
had accumulated to warrant an attempt at synthesizing adrenalin. 
Stolz succeeded in making the dl-product which was found somewhat 
different from the natural base, and, finally, Flacher split the dl- 
compound into its dextro- and levo- components, the latter of which 
is said to be identical in every respect with the levoadrenalin obtained 
from the adrenal gland. 
The physiology of the adrenal glands alone covers a field of no mean 
proportions, and it is more or less closely associated with a still 
larger number of articles on the therapeutic and toxic action of 
adrenalin. Since, however, the studies to be described are for the 
most part quantitative in character, it seems advisable to limit refer- 
ences as far as possible to methods and results that are more or less 
quantitative which deal with the physiological action of adrenalin 
and closely allied compounds. Comprehensive resumes of the litera- 
ture dealing with the adrenals, adrenalin and its homologues, may be 
found in the excellent papers by Hultgren and Anderson (40), Abel 
(2 and 3), Aldrich (4), Moller (58), Davis (22), Vincent (74), Rolleston 
(64), and Schafer (65). 
