Abstract
The abnormalities of the mineral metabolism of adrenalectomized animals are common knowledge, and have been the subject of several comprehensive reviews (e. g., Kendall 1 ). In the kidney it has been possible to study the course of interference with the normal sodium and potassium balance in some detail. Further analyses in the kidney are however confronted with great difficulties. Fortunately, disturbances of reabsorption by the kidney tubuli can often be demonstrated by analogous experiments with the small intestine. Phlorid-zin interference with sugar reabsorption in proximal parts of the tubuli can be seen for example in the inhibitory effect of phloridzin on active sugar absorption in the intestine (Wertheimer 2 ). Visscher and coworkers 3 in a series of investigations have shown that an active transport of ions in a direction opposite to that of the concentration gradient can regularly be demonstrated in the small intestine under specified conditions. This finding seems to be of general physiological significance; a similar transport of ions against the direction of the gradient has been shown to exist in plant roots by Lundegardh 4 and in several freshwater animals by Krogh 5 In this connection mention may also be made of the papers of Steward 6 and Keys. 7 It seemed of some importance in view of these results to ascertain whether an active transport of ions against the direction of the gradient could be demonstrated also in the small intestine of adrenalectomized animals. Fifty-four animal experiments testing this question have been carried out by us. Our earlier experiments were carried out according to the procedure used by Wilbrand and Laszt 8 for the study of active sugar absorption in the rat intestine.
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