Arthur A. Hellbaum

Observations on Cobalt Polycythemia. I. Studies on the Peripheral Blood of Rats.

Conclusions 1. Injections of cobaltous chloride continued over a period of 8 months without apparent serious toxicity has resulted in persistent polycythemia during this period of a degree comparable to that occurring in polycythemia vera in man. 2. The average increases in blood volume and total erythrocyte mass as compared with controls was 80% and 192% respectively, due entirely to increase in erythrocytes since plasma volume decreased 16% on the average. 3. The erythrocyte of polycythemic animals as compared with the normal increased in volume 41% due almost entirely to an increase in the thickness of the cell. The hemoglobin content remains essentially unchanged.

The Effects of Atropine on the Interdigestive Phase of Gastric Secretion in Normal Individuals and in Patients with Peptic Ulcer

Summary The subcutaneous administration of 1.2 mg. of atropine sulfate practically abolished the secretion of HCl in the interdigestive phase of ten normal individuals. In twelve patients with active peptic ulcer the same amount of atropine inhibited but failed to suppress completely the secretion of HCI. These results suggest that the interdigestive phase of gastric secretion in patients with peptic ulcer is at least in part of humoral origin.

Gonadotropic Activity of the Pituitaries of Horses.

There is a quantitative difference in the relative gonadotropic capacity of the pituitaries of various types of animals. The pituitaries of hogs and sheep contain much more of the gonad stimulating substances than do the pituitaries of beef. 1 According to Wallen-Lawrence and Van Dyke 2 similarly prepared extracts of beef and sheep glands showed the former to have less than one-tenth the activity of the latter. During a series of studies of horse pituitaries collected at various times of the sexual cycle, and at different periods in pregnancy, we have compared their gonad stimulating activity with that of the pituitaries of other animals. The horse glands have considerably more gonadotropic activity than those of sheep, which have been the chief source of material for comparison. The material was prepared by grinding the fresh glands, desiccating them in 2 volumes of acetone 3 times, completely drying in a warm current of air, and powdering.† A typical experiment is as follows: A total subcutaneous injection of 12.5 mg. of the dried powder administered twice daily over a period of 5 days to 21-22 day old rats produced ovaries weighing 97.4, 64.6, 35.0, 51.2, 35.4, 79.3, and 51.1 nig., average 59.1 mg.; 25 mg. total injection resulted in ovarian weight of 192, 107, 263.4, average 187.5 mg.; and 50 mg. produced ovaries 324.3, 369.2, 250.7, and 177.9 mg. respectively, averaging 280.5 mg. Ovaries of rats injected with 50 mg. of dried sheep pituitary powder weighed 35-50 mg., while the ovaries of normal untreated controls weighed 12-14 mg. It is thus evident that the concentration of the sex stimulating hormones in horse pituitaries is approximately 4 times that of similarly prepared sheep material. Furthermore, the effect of horse pituitary powder on the ovaries of immature rats appears to differ from that of sheep pituitary powder in that horse pituitaries seem to produce a greater follicular stimulation as compared to luteinization than those of similar preparations from sheep.

Gonad-Stimulating Abilities of Male and Female Rat Pituitary Glands.∗

Conclusions Assays of male and female rat hypophyses were made by injecting acetone dried glands into normal and hypophysectomized immature female rats. Male hypophyses stimulated follicular development only, unless large amounts of the desiccated glands were administered. The hypophyses of adult female rats induced luteinization at all dose levels.