Intravenously Administered ACTH

Abstract

SAYERS and his co-workers¹ demonstrated that large doses of ACTH administered intravenously over one half hour disappeared rapidly from the blood stream in two normal subjects, while giving rise to maximum but transient adrenal cortical stimulation. Gordon² first drew attention to the fact that the administration of ACTH in a continuous intravenous drip led to sustained adrenal cortical stimulation in human subjects, and he emphasized that relatively small quantities of ACTH were required. This was identical with the experience of Ingle,³ who was able to produce greatly enlarged adrenal cortices in rats given small quantities of ACTH over a number . . .