STUDIES ON ADRENAL INSUFFICIENCY

Abstract

Pregnancy has a marked influence in prolonging the survival period. Of 17 pregnant adrenalectomized dogs, 1 survived for a period equal to the average gestation (to the 59th day). One each lived to the 58th day, the 47th, the 33rd, the 27th, the 26th, and the 23rd. Six others survived much longer (13th-18th day) than the average of the control d* and non-pregnant 9 . One dog lived to the 26th day, after giving birth to a litter of pups immediately after the 2nd adrenal operation. As no such period of survival was seen among the 74 controls, it must be assumed that this animal was not kept alive by the adrenals of the embryos. Estimations of blood non-protein and urea N, uric acid, creatinine (preformed and total), amino-acid N, "undetermined fraction" of non-protein N, Cl (expressed as NaCl), and dextrose were made on some of the dogs from time to time. An increase in non-protein and urea N was seen, in 1 case the day before parturition. When the serious symptoms preceding death appear, marked rise occurs in the non-protein and urea N and in the undetermined fraction. In this regard there is no essential difference between pregnant and control dogs, excepting dog 1157, which lived to the 58th day (10th day after delivery) and showed a high N value from the day after parturition till death, although in excellent health up to the day she died. The so-called concentration of the blood (diminished proportion of plasma or serum relative to corpuscles) was observed in the terminal stages in some of the pregnant dogs, as in the controls.