LEAD STUDIES

Abstract

The mechanism by which lead produces paralysis has not been studied thoroughly. Those investigations which have been reported have been almost entirely of a clinical and pathologic nature. Recent contributions to the chemistry and physiology of muscular contraction¹ and of the behavior of lead within the organism have suggested new methods for further study of the location and mechanism of the action of lead on nerve and muscle tissue, and the experiments described in this paper are the result of this newer knowledge. LITERATURE Among the older investigators, Gusserow² was the first to obtain evidence suggestive of the direct action of lead on muscle. He reported that relatively large amounts of lead may be recovered from the muscles of rabbits with lead poisoning, but his observation was questioned by Heubel³ and has never been confirmed. These experiments, however, drew attention to the possibility that lead might affect