DEMONSTRATION OF ARTERIAL CONSTRICTION IN VITRO

Abstract

The most characteristic and constant feature of the anaphylactic reaction is the contraction of smooth muscle. It is this manifestation which accounts for the sudden and dramatic clinical picture that is ordinarily produced in anaphylaxis, especially in the common laboratory animals. According to the animal used, either the contraction of the smooth muscle of one system of organs is more massive than that of another, or, because of different anatomic relations, more profound symptoms are produced. Whether or not there is a participation to some extent of all the smooth muscle tissue in the body, or whether there is a selective action for certain groups, cannot be decided at present, either because of the nonappearance of clinical symptoms which may identify the participation of certain organs, or because of the lack of suitable methods to demonstrate the in vitro response of the smooth muscle in all organs. Because of certain