STUDIES IN DENERVATION: E.-OBSERVATIONS CONCERNING ADRENALINE.

Abstract

Effect of Injections of Adrenaline In paper B reference has been made to the demonstration of Fatherree et al. (1940) that denervation of the digital vessels of humans renders them hypersensitive to the vasoconstricting action of adrenaline. Atlas (1938) had previously shown the same phenomenon using neosynephrine and both authors agreed in attributing the action to the effects of degeneration of the sympathetic fibres. These effects were first fully described by Elliott (1905) and since have been amply confirmed though little new has been added to his observations. Freeman et al. (1934) demonstrated in the human the hypersensitivity to adrenaline produced by sympathetic ganglionectomy while the success of the operations of preganglionic sympathectomy devised by Telford (1935) and Smithwick (1936) further testifies to the fact that Elliott's results are applicable to the human. In as much as the present findings form no exception to those referred to above it is only necessary to refer to the figures illustrating these results. Fig. 1 is an enlargement of Fig. 5, paper B, showing that in response to intravenous injections of adrenaline the denervated digit (R.F.2) had a greater fall in temperature than did the preganglionectomized digit (R.F.5), while there was no certain effect on the normal digit (L.F.2). This figure well depicts the prolonged response in the vessels whose sympathetic fibres have degenerated as described by Elliott. It was on the basis of this type of response in R.F.5 and its absence in R.F.2 in subject S.S. (see Fig. 6, paper B) that it was concluded