Abstract
Summary
1. Large doses of acetylcholine (1.20-2.85 mg) were injected in the yolk sac, air chamber, or directly on the embryo during the 4-12-day incubation period. These doses were well tolerated by the embryo and attended with no gross abnormalities. Atropine similarly administered produced no malformation. 2. The yolk sac of 4-day embryos was injected with weak doses (0.05 mg) of physostigmine salicylate. Shortened beaks, micromelia, and retarded development of eyelids were observed at 8 to 13 days' incubation. Inasmuch as similar anomalies were reported in sulfanilamide and insulin treated animals, these anomalies cannot be considered eserine specific. 3. With larger doses (1-15 mg) of prostigmine bromide or physostigmine salicylate, the above mentioned anomalies were generally associated with severe midline bendings of the vertebral column (Figs. 4,5), and this was interpreted as specific for cholinesterase inhibition.
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