SO-CALLED BIOLOGICAL TESTS FOR ADRENALIN IN BLOOD, WITH SOME OBSERVATIONS ON ARTERIAL HYPERTONUS

1. The combination of a biological test object on which adrenalin causes contraction of smooth muscle (perfused blood-vessels or the uterus in certain conditions) with a biological test object on which it produces inhibition of contraction of smooth muscle (intestine) greatly diminishes the chance of error in testing blood (or other body liquids) for adrenalin. A control experiment with adrenalin solutions should, in general, accompany each observation on the blood. 2. When properly chosen biological tests are employed, no evidence is obtained of the presence of adrenalin in detectable amount in normal blood taken from the general circulation. 3. In a case of nephritis with albuminuria and persistently high arterial pressure, the pressure was diminished by forced breathing. The washing out of carbon dioxide seemed to be a factor in this diminution as well as the mechanical interference with the circulation. In this case, the administration of large doses of sodium bicarbonate was associated with a marked diminution in the blood pressure. 4. In another case with persistently high blood pressure, the drawing off of cerebrospinal fluid caused a distinct diminution in the arterial pressure, presumably by lowering the intracranial pressure. No pressor substance was detected in the cerebrospinal fluid.