542 
Cooperation  Between 
/Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
*•   November,  19 17. 
sible  for  its  extensive  use  by  clinicians  in  conditions  of  low  pressure. 
Yet  it  now  seems  established  that  in  safe  doses  strychnine  does  not 
raise  the  blood  pressure  materially,  either  in  man  or  in  animals.  The 
rise  of  pressure,  therefore,  is  a  toxic  effect ;  and,  so  far  as  we 
know,  it  is  not  available  for  therapeutic  purposes.  Due  considera- 
tion must  also  be  given  to  the  fact  that  in  the  laboratory  intravenous 
injections  are  frequently  used,  whereas  in  medical  practice  these  are 
seldom  given  except  in  emergencies.  Finally,  different  species  of 
animals  may  vary  in  their  reactions  to  a  given  drug.  When  the 
reaction  is  essentially  the  same  in  a  variety  of  mammals,  it  may  be 
assumed  that  the  human  organism  will  respond  in  a  similar  man- 
ner ;  but  when  the  reaction  varies,  the  effect  on  man  cannot  safely 
be  predicted  from  laboratory  studies.  In  practice,  moreover,  even 
lesser  quantitative  variations  in  response  may  become  of  paramount 
importance,  for  it  is  our  purpose  to  secure  therapeutic  results,  and 
at  the  same  time  to  avoid  unpleasant  side  effects. 
One  of  the  most  important  methods  for  helping  to  bridge  over 
the  gap  between  animal  pharmacology  and  practical  therapeutics  is 
the  accurate  study  of  the  effects  produced  when  drugs  are  given  in 
the  usual  medicinal  doses  to  human  beings.  The  methods  employed 
in  making  such  studies  must  naturally  be  free  from  the  possibility 
of  doing  harm.  Fortunately  a  great  variety  of  new  methods  have 
been  developed  in  recent  years  which  may  be  applied  to  the  study 
of  human  functions.  Without  attempting  to  name  all  of  these,  I 
mention  the  following :  bloodless  determinations  of  the  arterial  and 
venous  pressures ;  graphic  records  of  the  gastric  contractions,  of  the 
arterial  and  venous  pulse  waves  and  of  the  electric  changes  accom- 
panying cardiac  activity;  roentgenographic  examinations  of  the  ali- 
mentary tract;  determinations  of  the  rate  of  metabolism;  chemical 
analyses  of  the  alveolar  air,  of  small  quantities  of  blood  and  of  ex- 
creta, and  estimations  of  the  various  immune  bodies  in  the  blood. 
Each  new  method  that  can  be  applied  to  the  study  of  human  func- 
tions not  only  advances  our  knowledge  of  these  functions  and  of 
their  perversions  in  disease,  but  also  makes  possible  more  accurate 
studies  on  how  these  functions  are  influenced  by  various  remedial 
measures.  In  many  cases  such  studies  can  be  carried  out  on  normal 
individuals,  and  within  a  short  space  of  time  sufficient  data  can  be 
accumulated  to  establish  with  scientific  accuracy  certain  aspects  of 
drug  action. 
Ultimately,  however,  we  must  answer  the  question :  Are  these 
