EXPERIMENTS ON THE LATENCY OF STROPHANTHIDIN EMESIS IN CATS

¹ From the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York

1. Extreme variations in the latent period of vomiting following injections of strophanthidin by various routes, including intravenous, have been shown in the cat.

2. It is concluded that as far as strophanthidin is concerned the latency length does not suggest what the location of emetic action is.

3. It is demonstrated that in determining the minimal emetic dose of this substance it is necessary to allow one to one and a half hours for the reaction before concluding that the result is negative. Several injections are sometimes required to produce a positive result, and it is advisable to allow at least two days between them, in operated and unoperated animals.

4. An explanation of the variations has not been found. Certain factors which may play a part in them have been discussed, and on the basis of experimental work a conception of strophanthidin emesis has been offered.

5. It is suggested that this conception is also applicable to vomiting induced by digitalis and related glucosides, but the real manner of inception of emesis by them and their aglucones remains obscure.