Dextrose plethora and its antipyretic effect in coli fever. 1

Abstract

The antipyretic action of dextrose was pointed out by one of us in the PROCEEDINGS of this Society about one year ago in connection with observations upon rabbits with peptone fever, and febrile human individuals to whom the sugar had been administered by mouth. 2 In view of the experiments reported some years ago from Dr. Lusk's laboratory by Fisher and Wishart 1 it was believed that our observations could be correlated with the dextrose plethora described by the last mentioned investigators.

To this end dextrose was first given to dogs by mouth in doses varying from 1 to 10 gms. per kilo with quantities of water, usually sufficient to make about a 30 per cent, solution. Observations were made upon dogs which had just been fasted for two days subsequent to receiving an adequate daily ration of meat, bread, and lard. Two dogs showed a maximum increase of 15-20 per cent, in the hemoglobin and 6.6-8.6 per cent, in the total blood solids. In no case was there any indication that the blood volume was increased.

The maximum rises of temperature in these two experiments were 0.6° and 0.2° C, respectively, the minimum temperatures noted being 0.2° respectively above and below normal, (hourly observations after injection of dextrose). In two similar experiments with normal dogs, no variation greater than 0.2° C. was observed in the course of the day.

In two dogs which had been given a coli injection (325,000 million bacilli per c.c.) on the previous day, reductions in temperature of -0.2° and -0.5° C. respectively were noted (at the end of three hours). From the above it was concluded that it is difficult to give dextrose by mouth in such a dose as constantly to affect the temperature either of normal or of fever dogs.