ANOMALOUS DISTRIBUTION OF ANTIMONY IN WHITE RATS FOLLOWING THE ADMINISTRATION OF TARTAR EMETIC

¹ Chemistry and Zoology Laboratories, National Institute of Health, U.S. Public Health Service; the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington

Dogs and rats were injected with tartar emetic prepared from radioactive antimony. Antimony concentrations in the blood and tissues of rats were considerably different from those in dogs and, judged by available data, were also different from concentrations encountered in man, white mice, cotton rats, and hamsters.

In white rats, the blood antimony is characterized by an increasing concentration beginning at 8 hours and lasting at least for 72 hours. This is in contrast to that in man and in the dog in which the concentration is decreasing to very low levels at these intervals.

There is some indication that the antimony compound appearing in the blood of the white rat at later intervals is considerably less toxic to the rat than its tartar emetic precursor. It is suggested that results obtained in screening antimonil compounds in white rats be interpreted with caution until more is learned of the phenomenon.