To the large number of drugs recommended for the relief of bronchial asthma, there have been added in the past few years two new ones ; aminophyllin (theophylline with ethylene diamine) and histaminase (torantil. ) Although marked clinical relief has followed the intravenous injection of aminophyllin in patients with acute bronchial little experimental work has been done in regard to the mechanism of action of the drug. During the course of this investigation Young and Gilbert' stated that aminophyllin greatly lessens the constricting action of histamine in the smaller bronchi and bronchioles of rabbit lung sections.Histaminase, while less well established than aminophyllin in the treatment of bronchial asthma, is thought to inactivate any histamine implicated in acute attacks of asthma.Nicotinic acid has been observed to benefit a few patients at John Sealy Hospital during status asthmaticus5 and was therefore included in this study.Method. Bronchioles were prepared for microscopic observation by the method of Sollmann and Gilbert.6 Puppies were killed by the injection of air into the left ventricle. The lungs were removed and injected intratracheally with a warm solution of 10% gelatin in Ringer's solution. They were then placed in iced Ringer's solution for several hours to harden. Thin sections of lung were made free-hand with a razor, and mounted on a ring of cork in a Petri dish containing 50 cc of Ringer's solution. The dish was placed on the warm stage of a microscope, and the solution was kept at a temperature of 38°C. The size of the bronchiolar lumen was recorded by use of a camera lucida.* Histaminase was generously supplied by the Winthrop Company.t A preliminary report of this work was published in Bull.
which they stir only for eating and other functions, or when alarmed. The animals, remaining more quiet because of the discomfort induced by movement in the warm cages, may thereby be spared some of the spread o f the disease secondary to muscular activity, and the increased lymphatic and circulatory drainage that such activity induces, and thus show a more marked localization of the disease. It has been impossible for us so far to determine what effect rest obtained in any other way might have on the course of experimental tuberculosis in guinea pigs, but we cannot deny the possibility of such benefit.This simple explanation, ii true, would obviate any practical application of the \varmth treatment, or moderate thermotherapy. in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis in man, in whom rest may be achie\.ed by other. perhalls more pleasant means, but furnishes additional evitlence tor the generally acce1)ted helief that rest is an important iactor in airling rccovery froni tuherculous infection.
P A Cinematic Study of Bronchiolar Reactions."LA cinematic record jvas shoivn of directly observed bronchiolar reactions. These were obtained by applying drugs to microscopic cross-sections of fresh bronchioles, and photographing through a low-power microscope.
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