An experimental contribution to the treatment of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Abstract

Macht and Teagarden in a study concerning the effects of light on the toxicity of quinine and quinidine sulfates have found that the activity of these drugs is potentiated by exposure to ultraviolet rays. In connection with these experiments it occurred to one of the authors that such radiations might possibly influence the toxicity of carbon monoxide for animals by hastening the dissociation of carbon monoxide from the hemoglobin with which it is firmly combined. A few preliminary experiments performed on rats seemed to corroborate this supposition. It was found in a series of rats, all of which were poisoned to the same degree with carbon monoxide, that those animals which were exposed to direct sunlight recovered more quickly than other rats similarly poisoned which were kept at the same temperature in a dark place. An extensive investigation was accordingly begun on the effects of light and more particularly of ultraviolet radiations on the toxicity of carbon monoxide. Experiments were made on shed blood, on the one hand, and “clinically” on various animals such as mice, rats, rabbits and dogs on the other hand. It was found that animals which were poisoned with gas and were radiated with ultraviolet rays recovered much more quickly and completely than similar animals poisoned to the same degree and which were kept at the same temperature in the dark. Comparative studies of blood on the two conditions showed that the break-up or dissociation of carbon monoxide hemoglobin took place much more rapidly under quartz-lamp radiation than normally. In making such comparative studies the phytopharmacological method of testing for carbon monoxide hemoglobin was found to be especially convenient and useful. The radiations employed in the present experiments were obtained from the Hanovia “Alpine Sun” quartz mercury vapor lamp.