The Influence of Amytal Upon Blood Sugar Content.

Abstract

The statement of Page 1 that during amytal narcosis no perceptible changes in blood sugar content occur was so suggestive for new possibilities in the study of carbohydrate metabolism as to warrant a repetition of the experiments of Page. In our work, the rabbit served as the experimental animal. In a series of 10 experiments 8 gave evidence of a distinct hyperglycemia which usually appears within an hour, or somewhat later, and may last for several hours. The hyperglycemia is induced by doses ranging from 50 to 100 mg. per kilo of amytal whether given by mouth, subcutaneously or intraperitoneally. Since the completion of our work Weiss 2 has shown that amytal produces hyperglycemia also in the cat and dog.

Illustrative examples of the experiments are given in Table I.