Abstract
5
Swingle, W. W., and Pfiffner, J. J., Anat. Rec., 1929,
The material here presented represents an attempt to determine the effect of bilateral adrenalectomy on the respiratory exchange of cats, together with the changes in metabolism produced by the administration of the cortical hormone to these adrenalectomized animals. There is, in the literature, some confusion as to the effect of bilateral adrenalectomy on the metabolism of animals. Golyakowski 1 reported an increase in heat production after ligation of the blood supply of the adrenals in dogs. Marine and Baumann 2 reported an increase in metabolism in 53% of their rabbits where the adrenals were removed or injured by freezing. They noted no change in 33% and a fall in 14%. Scott, 3 using cats, obtained a slight increase in some animals and no change in others after subtotal injury of the adrenal glands, and a fall in metabolism following total removal. Aub, 4 also using cats, found a drop of 25% in the metabolism, following total removal of the adrenal glands. He did, however, detect a slight increase immediately following operation. Intravenous injection of the adrenal cortical extracts available at that time (1922) produced no effect on the metabolism of these animals.
Following the introduction of an active extract of the adrenal cortex by Swingle and Pfiffner 5 it was considered advisable to determine its effect on the metabolism of adrenalectomized cats. The operation was performed in 2 stages in the following experiments.
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