Abstract
This study was prompted by the publications of Auer and Lewis, 2 and of Auer, 3 which definitely demonstrated the prophylactic action of atropin sulphat in the asphyxia of immediate anaphylaxis. The results of these writers have been confirmed repeatedly.
In our own studies we used guinea pigs averaging about 400 grams in weight and sensitized by subcutaneous administration of 0.05 c.c. horse serum. The atropin was injected intravenously five minutes before the toxic dose of horse serum which also was administered into the jugular vein.
The study shows that as the toxic dose of horse serum is increased the protecting dose of atropin must also be increased, but the increase in protecting dose is not proportionate to that of the horse serum. The curve of protecting dose rises much more sharply than that of horse serum and finally a point is reached where the animal succumbs to the dose of atropin. A 400-gram guinea pig is killed almost instantly by a dose of 0.060 gram atropin.
That the effect of the atropin is physiological and not due to any alkaloidal combination with the toxic fraction of the horse serum is shown by the fact that a mixture of atropin and horse serum incubated at 37° C. and dialyzed for four days killed sensitized animals whereas a control in the same proportions but not dialyzed saved the animals from anaphylactic death.
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