188 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXVIII, No. 2 
ing the toxicity of cottonseed press cake. Its toxicity will vary greatly with the 
variety of seed and with the method of preparation and subsequent treatment 
of the press cake. Moreover, the rat is a relatively resistant animal. In the 
experiments herein reported, as well as in some of the experiments reported in the 
literature, conditions very favorable to the well-being of the animal were usually 
provided. Before generalizations concerning the toxicity of cottonseed products 
can be made, further work must be done upon other species of animals and upon 
animals kept under different conditions. 
SUMMARY 
A comparison of the toxicity of pure gossypol with that of four varieties of 
cottonseed kernels was made. The cottonseed kernels contained known quan¬ 
tities of gossypol. Pure gossypol in peanut oil solution and the ether extract 
of cottonseed kernels were injected intraperitoneally into rats. The toxicity of the 
cottonseed kernel extracts corresponded to their gossypol content with moderate 
variations. Rats were fed upon a totally adequate diet to which were added in 
some cases known quantities of gossypol and in other cases raw cottonseed 
kernels in which the gossypol content had been determined. The toxicity of 
these diets with moderate variations corresponded to their gossypol content. 
The results herein reported bear out the conclusion that the toxicity of cotton¬ 
seed kernels is due to their gossypol content. Inasmuch as the gossypol content 
of cottonseed kernels varies in the different producing regions, the observed 
regional variation in the toxicity of raw cottonseed kernels is explained. 
Accordingly, this tendency to geographic variation in the toxicity of the raw 
material would be expected to affect the toxicity of cottonseed press cake and 
meal made in different regions by the same manufacturing process. Confirma¬ 
tion of this conclusion is found in the fact that in the Atlantic Coast States, 
where the gossypol content of cottonseed averages slightly less than 1 per cent, 
cottonseed poisoning is more feared than in the Southwest, where gossypol occurs 
in cottonseed in smaller quantities. 
In this investigation no attempt has been made to study the variations in tox¬ 
icity which might be due to different methods of treating the seed in the manu¬ 
facturing process. No attempt was made to study the special procedures of 
individual investigators in this field. The effort has been limited to establishing 
the toxicity of the raw material used in the manufacture of the meal. Differences 
in this respect are at present beyond control. They must be taken into account 
both in research upon this subject and in the practical use of the material in 
industry and agriculture. Finally, an experimental basis has been found which 
makes it possible to correlate the divergent views and the apparently contra¬ 
dictory findings of various investigators. 
LITERATURE CITED 
(1) Alsberg, C. L., and Schwartze, E. W. 
1919. pharmacological action of gossypol. (Abstract.) Jour. Phar¬ 
macol. 13: 504. 
( 2 ) - 
1921. THE RELATION OF COTTONSEED POISONING TO GOSSYPOL. (Abstract.) 
Jour. Pharmacol. 17: 344-345. 
(3) Carruth, F. E. 
1918. CONTRIBUTION TO THE CHEMISTRY OF GOSSYPOL, THE TOXIC PRINCIPLE 
of cottonseed. Jour. Amer. Chem. Soc. 40: 647-663. 
