Julius E. Lackner

Progestin in Control of Human Uterine Contractions. Significance in Prevention of Habitual and Threatened Spontaneous Abortion

The hormone progestin, extracted from the corpus luteum, has been used experimentally in the lower animals to inhibit uterine contractions. Its use clinically has been reported in women who were aborting and in those with a history of habitual abortion. The apparent reason for its effectiveness in such cases is its antagonistic action to the oxytoxic action of pituitrin. We reported 1 a series of 19 cases, some of which were threatened abortions and some habitual abortions. These women had lost 69% of their babies in 38 previous pregnancies under ordinary management, while the same women lost only 26% of their babies when treated with progestin, but without morphine or other sedative. To test out the effect of progestin on the contractions of the human uterus, a metreurynter bag was introduced into the uterus on the seventh day post partum and inflated sufficiently to stimulate weak uterine contractions, according to the method of Moir. 2 The bag was connected to a recording tambour by a long rubber tubing. The writing lever traced variations in uterine contractions on a slowly revolving drum. The effect of injections of estrin, progestin and pituitrin were studied. The insertion of a bag into the human post partum uterus at the seventh day is very easily done without anesthesia, since the cervix is sufficiently patulous to admit the folded bag and yet has contracted sufficiently to prevent the bag from being extruded into the vagina after moderate inflation. At the seventh day post partum, sufficient involutionary changes have taken place to obliterate the lower uterine segment, hence we considered that the contractions measured were those of the upper uterine segment. Ivy, Hartman and Koff, 3 Adair and Davis, 4 and others have shown that the lower uterine segment has no contractile power. Young and older primiparae and multiparae were used.

Adsorption of Physiologically Active Substances by Activated Charcoal.

During the progress of some studies on adsorption, it became necessary to have some information regarding the action of activated charcoal on physiological substances. A search through the literature did not reveal any previous work except a paper by Guerrant and Salmon 1 on the adsorption of quinine. We were not concerned in this case with the mechanism of adsorption or activation. We merely wanted to know whether or not certain drugs would be adsorbed from aqueous solution by activated charcoal. To insure uniformity of results, we decided to use an activated charcoal easily obtainable on the open market.∗ The following drugs were studied: strychnine sulphate, brucine sulphate, adrenalin hydrochloride, histamine hydrochloride, acetylcholine hydrobromide, ephedrine hydrochloride, tyramine hydrochloride and diamino butane hydrochloride. The activity of the drug was studied by intravenous injection. The solutions were prepared as follows: The drug was dissolved in water or physiological salt solution. 25 cc. of the solution were put into a 100 cc. flask as a control solution. Another 25 cc. portion was added to a 100 cc. flask containing 1 gm. of the active charcoal. Both solutions were then shaken for 20 minutes and filtered through a folded filter. The activity of these filtered solutions was determined by intravenous injection. Nine dogs under ether anesthesia were used as the test animals. All injections were made into the left femoral vein. When strychnine, brucine, adrenalin, histamine and tyramine are treated with activated charcoal they are quantitatively inactivated either through adsorption or modification. In the case of acetylcholine and ephedrine the inactivation is not quite complete.