EFFECT OF BENZEDRINE SULFATE ON GASTRIC EMPTYING AND INTESTINAL ACTIVITY

Abstract

In 1937 the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry of the American Medical Association published a concise review of the literature pertaining to benzedrine.¹ Since the drug is well known, a general discussion of its characteristics is not necessary here. In a recent paper² we reported that in dogs benzedrine given orally decreased the initial emptying time of the stomach to 31 per cent of the normal, but increased the period for final emptying on the average about 14 per cent. Van Liere and Sleeth³ observed in 3 human subjects the delay in final emptying. More recently Rosenberg, Arens, Marcus and Necheles⁴ have confirmed both these observations as to the increased time for final emptying in man and dogs. Investigations conducted on man similar to those previously reported by us led to animal experimentation for an interpretation of these results. We present here our observations concerning the