Abstract
The toxicity of the sodium salts of dextro and levo tartaric acid was tested in experiments on frogs and rabbits. Both isomers were found equally toxic in these animals thus contradicting the earlier work of Chabrié 1 on the subject, who claimed that levo was more than twice as toxic as dextro tartaric acid. In experiments on rabbits, diet proved to be an important factor in the determination of resistance to this substance. Animals which were fed oats or oats and cabbage succumbed to a dose of 0.4 gm. of the salt per kilo when given by subcutaneous injection. Suppression of urine was usually observed on the first day and death occurred in six to seven days. In starvation, slightly smaller doses were fatal to some rabbits. The resistance was increased considerably when the diet was changed to carrots. Such animals stood 1.0 gm. per kilo by subcutaneous injection, while 1.2-1.5 gm. per kilo were toxic. A moderate degree of tolerance for tartrates was induced in animals which were fed oats and cabbage. By gradually increasing the dose, a large proportion (6 out of 9) of rabbits survived 0.8 gm. per kilo which is twice the fatal dose. Rabbits which were receiving carrots did not acquire tolerance for tartrates. Sodium tartrate was much less toxic when given by mouth. 5 gm. per kilo was found to be the minimum fatal dose.
Experiments on Cats
Amounts which have been found to be fatal for rabbits did not produce any symptoms in cats. Subcutaneous injection of one gm. per kilo produced a slight diarrhea in some individuals, and had no effect whatever in others. 1 1/2 gm. per kilo proved fatal to one cat but was without action in another.
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