PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - ROBERT A. HATCHER
AU  - SOMA WEISS
TI  - THE SEAT OF THE EMETIC ACTION OF THE DIGITALIS BODIES
DP  - 1927 Nov 01
TA  - Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
PG  - 37--53
VI  - 32
IP  - 1
4099  - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/32/1/37.short
4100  - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/32/1/37.full
SO  - J Pharmacol Exp Ther1927 Nov 01; 32
AB  - 1. The following is evidence that the digitalis bodies do not act directly on the center to induce vomiting: a. Vomiting has never been induced by the direct application of any digitalis body to the center, though it has been induced by the application of minute amounts of many drugs. b. Vomiting is not induced by the perfusion of the brain of the living animal with defibrinated blood to which a digitalis body has been added while the poison is excluded from the heart, but it is induced by the intravenous injection of the poison while the brain is perfused with defibrinated blood in such a way that none of the poison reaches the brain (1). c. The vomiting center is not stimulated for more than a few minutes by the direct application of a single dose of any drug so far as we know. Large doses cause vomiting soon followed by depression, but a single large intravenous dose of digitalis often causes prolonged nausea and vomiting. 2. The following is evidence that the digitalis bodies induce vomiting through their peripheral action. a. Nicotine (with atropine) abolishes the emetic action of an intravenous or intramuscular dose of a digitalis body, but it does not abolish that of an intraperitoneal dose of strophanthidin. b. Nicotine (with atropine) does not abolish the emetic action of apomorphine, showing that it does not depress the center markedly. 3. Experiments on intact and eviscerated animals show that the digitalis bodies do not induce emesis through any action on the gastro-intestinal tract (9). 4. The following is evidence that the digitalis bodies induce vomiting by their action on the heart: a. Cutting the cardiac nerves, or the cord above the level at which the cardiac nerves enter, abolishes the emetic action of an intravenous dose of digitalis for a time (1). b. The occurrence of nausea and vomiting associated with coronary occlusion and attacks of angina pectoris points to the heart as the seat of the vomiting reflex in such cases. c. The only published work of recent date that seemed to afford evidence that the digitalis bodies induce vomiting otherwise than by their action on the heart is shown to have no bearing on the problem so far as oral, rectal, intravenous or intramuscular administration is concerned. 5. The occurrence of vomiting following the intravenous injection of a digitalis body some weeks after the preliminary operation for denervation of the heart has been discussed.