Abstract
Summary
A condition simulating cretinism was produced in six young rabbits by injecting them intraperitoneally every second day with an antiserum (3 cc.) prepared by injecting hens with the proteins of the thyroid gland that are soluble in normal saline solution.
This work∗ was undertaken to ascertain if a condition simulating cretinism might be obtained by the injection of a “thyro-cytotoxic” serum into young rabbits. We were stimulated to make such a study in view of the work of Hektoen and Schulhof, 1 who were able to prepare an “antithyroglobulin”, and of Portis, 2 Yates, 3 and MacCallum, 4 who studied the histology of the thyroid after injecting “thyrocytotoxic” sera.
The antigen was prepared as follows: Healthy adult rabbits were anesthetized and bled. The thyroid was then perfused via the carotids with normal saline solution, the thyroid being gently massaged occasionally, until the perfusate returned clear. The total time of perfusion was about 45 minutes. The thyroid was then removed, minced and ground in a mortar with prepared sand and normal saline. The suspension was permitted to stand overnight, after which it was centrifuged slowly to remove insoluble residue. The supernatant opalescent fluid was used as the antigen. Aseptic precautions were used throughout the various procedures.
The antigen was injected intramuscularly into healthy adult hens at 4-day intervals throughout the period of the experiment. Other hens were injected with rabbit serum, the serum of these hens serving as a “control serum”. The precipitin titre was determined by the ring-test method. When the precipitin titre of the fowls reached 1 to 50,000, the serum was used for our experiments.
Litters of rabbits that numbered 7 or more were used. Injections of the “thyro-cytotoxic” serum and “anti-rabbit” serum control serum were started when the rabbits were 10 days old and were given intraperitoneally to 5 litters every fourth day and later to 3 litters every second day. Two members of the litter received the “thyro-cytotoxic” serum from the fowls treated with the thyroid, 2 received the “control anti-serum” from the fowls treated with rabbit serum, and the others were used as untreated controls.
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