The destruction of strophanthin in the animal organism

Abstract

Strophanthin is toxic in much smaller doses when injected into a vein or subcutaneously than when given by the mouth.

Dilute solutions injected slowly or at intervals are approximately as toxic as stronger solutions injected at once.

Strophanthin is not readily destroyed by the liver; no difference could be observed in the amounts required to cause death from slow injections of dilute solutions into the superior mesenteric, and into the femoral vein.

Peptic and activated pancreatic digests destroy only small amounts of the poison, not enough to account for more than a small part of the difference in toxicity by the mouth. Bile exerts little influence.

Ten times that amount of strophanthin which is fatal by the vein may disappear from the dog's intestine in an hour and a half without proving fatal, the portion remaining in the lumen of the intestine retains its toxicity, but death may result promptly (in thirty-eight minutes) from the introduction into the duodenum of an amount but slightly exceeding that necessary to cause death after oral administration.

The poison may be destroyed in part during its passage through the walls of the intestine, but since part of even a very small dose is absorbed unchanged, it seems fair to conclude that certain cells alone are concerned in the destruction while others permit it to pass through.

The cat and dog react to similar doses, the rabbit will stand somewhat larger doses administered subcutaneously and vastly larger doses by the mouth; this suggests that histological differences may furnish a clue to the cells concerned in the destruction,

One milligram of an active strophanthin given by mouth, per kg. of cat, has proved fatal, while a man has been given about as much (one hundred and fifty milligrams total) on two days.