Non-Occurrence of the Compensatory Increase of the Epinephrine Content in the Suprarenal Gland in Rabbits

In rabbits, one suprarenal gland was extirpated through the lumbar route, without narcotizing. Forty to ninety days later the remaining gland was removed in quite the same manner; that is not after killing the animal on a blow on the nape. Epinephrine was esti-mated by the method of Suto-Kojima. No compensatory increase of the epinephrine load was found in the gland extirpated on the later occasion, contrary to the most previ-ous reports. Use of different procedures in extirpating the fellow glands, i.e. by the chirurgical operation at the first removal and by killing at once at the second, is chiefly responsible for the experimental results which had led the previous writers to an erroneous conception of the compen-satory increase of epinephrine. Further it must be warranted against the use of the method of Folin, Cannon and Denis, especially in such a kind of research. The reason is given in text.