Abstract
There are few experimental studies recorded of the effect of ingestion of purgative salts of magnesium on the level of urinary and fecal magnesium. Hayy 1 found that one normal man excreted through the kidneys in 23½ hours, 3.5% of the magnesium taken in a 20 gm. dose of magnesium sulphate. Yvon 2 found an increase of less than 5.0% in 24 hours in the urinary magnesium output after the ingestion of a similar dose of the same salt. Hirschfelder and Series 3 reported that 7 normal men excreted from 40 to 44% (average 42.6%) of the magnesium taken in a single ordinary purgative dose of Epsom salt within 24 hours after ingestion. Haldane 4 recovered only 8% of the magnesium ingested in a 25 gm. dose of magnesium chloride.
Wry 5 recovered in one hour from the feces of a normal man 9.52 gm. or about 78% of the magnesium taken in a 12.25 gm. dose of magnesium sulphate; from the feces of another he recovered in one hour 12.5 gm. or 50% of the magnesium taken in a 25 gm. dose of the same salt. He observed that after 24 hours stools might still contain the purgative salt.
It is apparent from these figures that there is considerable divergence in the results on the excretion of magnesium. It was considered, therefore, worthy of further study. The experiments were carried out on 8 human subjects whose ages ranged from 20 to 30 years. All subjects were in good health and were kept on a fairly uniform diet during the experimental period.
Magnesium and calcium determinations were made for 3 to 5 days prior to the experimental period on 24-hour collections of urine to determine the average daily magnesium and calcium excretion by this path.
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