THE PROTECTIVE ACTION OF DIET AGAINST TARTRATE NEPHRITIS

¹ From the Pharmacological Laboratory, Bureau of Chemistry, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.

1. When tartrate was given by mouth to rabbits on a diet of oats large doses were required to inhibit the elimination of phenolsulphonephthalein. The effects produced with medium doses were very moderate. Recovery was observed in all cases.

2. Even small doses of sodium tartrate injected subcutaneously into rabbits on a diet of oats caused a very pronounced inhibition of the elimination of dye. Considerable improvement occurred after three to five days but complete recovery of function was never observed.

3. Evidence of disturbance of the renal function was seldom obtained with medium doses of sodium tartrate when injected subcutaneously into rabbits on a diet of fresh young carrots. Large doses showed a decrease of functional activity within a few hours after injection, but tests made one or more days later indicated considerable improvement and in some cases recovery.

4. After the subcutaneous injection of sodium tartrate into rabbits on a diet of oats the time of appearance of the phenolsulphonephthalein injected was delayed and the duration of elimination longer than in rabbits which had been receiving carrots.

5. When sodium tartrate was injected subcutaneously in gradually increasing amounts, no impairment of renal function was observed even after very large doses (4 and 6 grams per kilo) if the diet consisted of carrots exclusively, but the efficiency of the kidney was markedly decreased if oats alone were fed, although the amount of tartrate administered was only one-fourth or one-sixth of that given to rabbits on a diet of carrots.