Abstract
During the course of experimental work on the effect of insulin upon the blood sugar content in rabbits, the question arose as to whether insulin and adrenalin were antagonists.
It is well known that insulin acts by diminishing the blood sugar, while adrenalin increases it. It was, therefore, thought highly probable that the administration of both drugs would result in a neutralization of these effects so that the blood sugar would remain practically normal.
A study of the literature gave support to the assumption. Magenti and Biagotti conclude that adrenalin, when given simultaneously with insulin, acts by strongly disturbing the usual insulin effect. These tests were repeated only for the reason that in the first papers on insulin by Banting and Best, and especially in a recent article by McLeod and Orr, special attention was called to the individual differences in rabbits, for sugar test, after the administration of insulin.
A series of rabbits was tested primarily for the separate effects of insulin and adrenalin.
Insulin was injected in quantities of 0.5 units per 1 kg. body weight. This amount was chosen because our former work, on the differing effects of insulin in different body tissues, was done with like quantities. These quantities seemed sufficient to lower the blood sugar conient of normal rabbits markedlly, without the danger of an overdosage. Thus convulsions and other by-effects, possibly without determinable manifestation, could be avoided.
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