PHYSIOLOGY OF ARTIFICIAL PYREXIA

1236 the evidence The circulationrate may be increased up to 400 per cent. and the oxygen capacity of the blood nearly 20 per cent. ; hence the oxygen available for the tissues is enor. mously increased. Their oxygen usage is, of course, also increased, but asphyxia is ruled out by the fact that the difference between the oxygen-content of the arterial and venous blood is small; the tissues seem to be oxygen and yet producing lactic That 25 per cent. of all the proposals came from the acid. Bothrejecting the free and combined carbon dioxide subjects themselves, Dr. Simon claims as evidence of the blood are lowered, so that although the alkali of the wide interest taken by all sections of the reserve is small, the blood is actually more alkaline population in the need for the new law and the in reaction than usual, and the centre advantage to be gained from it. He writes that few is correspondingly depressed. It respiratory is impossible to serious difficulties have arisen and very few appeals a plausible explanation of so many seemingly against the decision of the court, the result, he thinks, attempt disturbances until their mutual relationcontradictory of the success of propaganda in awaking a proper have been more closely scrutinised. The condiships public understanding. Dr. Simon concludes with the tion presents certain points of resemblance to Yandell remark that German eugenists are following with Henderson’s " 3which he describes as keen interest the efforts made in other European of subacute acarbia, 11states, and for which hetypical finds asphyxial countries to enact similar legislation. The resolution a theoretical explanation difficult. of the Zurich eugenic congress of July, 1934, was widely welcomed in Germany. HORMONE TREATMENT OF UNDESCENDED TESTIS PHYSIOLOGY OF ARTIFICIAL PYREXIA a of the section of therapeutics and AT meeting AN editorial article in the Journal of the American of the Royal Society of Medicine, on Medical Association of Nov. 3rd comments favourably pharmacology Nov. 13th, Dr. A. W. Spence and Dr. E. F. Scowen on the treatment of syphilis by artificially raising the reported their observations at St. Bartholomew’s body temperature. It is apparent that a knowledge Hospital on the treatment of cryptorchidism with of the general changes induced in the body during this prolan. It may be recalled that P. E. Smith and type of treatment is urgently needed, and in the same E. T. Engle showed that injections of an extract of issue Dr. William Bierman and Dr. Ella H. Fishberg the anterior lobe of the pituitary caused descent of record a number of facts concerning modifications in the testes-and the appearance of other secondary sex the blood, acid-base balance, circulation, and respiracharacteristics-in immature animals. These effects tion of patients who have been kept for some hours were due to activation of the interstitial cells of the at 104° to 107° F. At present they offer very little which were led to produce their hormone discussion of their findings, but we look forward to the testis, in quantities similar to those of mature animals ; and more critical analysis which is promised. We have later demonstrated that the same result could previously pointed out1 that, broadly speaking, the Engle be obtained by injection of the gonadatropic substance outstanding features of hyperpyrexia which is from the urine of pregnancy. Spence and Scowen physically produced are the overbearing of the injected 500 rat-units of prolan intramuscularly, temperature-regulating mechanism, and the direct twice weekly, into eleven boys of ages ranging increase of the metabolic rate of the tissues. This is between 4tand 15 years. In the successful,cases the borne out by many of the statements of Bierman and descent of the testes took place in periods varying Fishberg, but how many of the abnormalities they from 2 to 11 weeks. In two out of five patients with note are due to an exaggeration of normal bilateral both testes descended normechanisms, and how many to a direct uncontrollable mally, andcryptorchidism, in two others one testis descended ; in the action of the heat, is hard to judge. The loss of sweat fifth there was no change. Of six cases in which the may be enormous, attaining such values as 4 litres, condition was unilateral there were suitable reactions and one is tempted to think of it as futile : it must in three. These observations confirm the work of put a great strain on the mechanisms which regulate S. B. D. Aberle and R. H. Jenkins,4 who got very water metabolism and osmotic pressure, even though similar results in man and the rhesus monkey. They the actual fluid is replaced by drinking, and yet it are a remarkable and unexpected outcome of laborafails to perform the function for which it is called work on the sex hormones, and it is not irrelevant tory forth-namely, reduction of the temperature. On to refer at the same time to a somewhat surthe other hand the sweat contains great quantities prising action of cestrin which has only lately of lactic acid, which, if retained in the body, would been recognised. In 1933 Harold Burrows, E. C. have serious effects on the alkali reserve ; as it is and N. M. Kennaway5 showed that if this is reduced by half, and the question arises, Is Dodds, cestrin be painted on the skin of mice the animals there after all a " physiology " of hyperpyrexia hernias in the scrotal region, and this develop peculiar Perspiration certainly seems to subserve an excretory finding has been pursued in greater detail by Burrows.I> function under these conditions, since, in comparison The hernias described may be due to a relaxation with sodium chloride, the lactic acid is concentrated of the pelvic muscle, and the of this effect twenty times in the sweat. Prof. Y. Kuno2 has also makes it seem unnecessary to discovery the existence postulate adduced evidence of a specific excretory action of the of a separate hormone " relaxin," which has been held skin during exercise, and suggests that, when lactic responsible for some of the physiological changes of acid is eliminated by this channel, possible damage pregnancy. to the kidneys is averted ; he states that the incidence 3 Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., Sept. 8th, 1934, p. 750 and of albuminuria in athletes is roughly in inverse Sept. 15th, p. 834. to of their the lactic acid content sweat. proportion 4 Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., Aug 4th, 1934, p. 314.

41-46 years 3.

The eldest

was a man

of 46, the

youngest a girl of 12, in whose case sterilisation was postponed on medical grounds. The 127 proposals originated as follows :-

The origin of this lactic acid is, presented, difficult to account for.

on

regulatory

2

1 THE LANCET, 1934, i., 1129. The Physiology of Human Perspiration, London, 1934.

5 Nature, 1933, cxxxi., 801. January, 1934. p. 507 ;

6 Brit. Jour. Surg., 1934, i., 411.

see

THE LANCET,