Researches into the action of mercury, podophylline, and taraxacum on the biliary secretion : being the report of the Edinburgh Committee of the British Medical Association / by John Hughes Bennett.

John Hughes Bennett

Date:: 1869

Credit: Researches into the action of mercury, podophylline, and taraxacum on the biliary secretion : being the report of the Edinburgh Committee of the British Medical Association / by John Hughes Bennett. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

11/52 (page 195)

$2. Previous JResearcJies to determine tlie Influence exercised hy Mercury on the Biliary Secretion, ISTasse*.—Professor H. Nasse was tlie first wlio attempted to ascertain, by- experiment on the dog with biliary fistula, the influence of mercury on the secretion of bile. It is stated in Canstatt that the result of his experiments was that calomel increased the absolute quantity of the bile, but diminished its solid constituents; KoLLiKEE and Mtiller administered to one of their dogs, which had biliary fistula, 4 grains of calomel at ten o'clock on the morning of the 28th. Pive half-hour observations made after midday gave an average of 3-823 grammes of bile excreted, an amount a little above that of previous averages. On the following day, however, four half-hour observations gave on an average 3-267 grammes,—that is, rather less than the usual average. On the 21st and 29th days the dog took again 4 grains of calomel, but the biliary secretion, instead of increasing, diminished. Seven observations of half an hour each, from the 28th to the 31st day, gave an average of only 2-183 grammes, and the bile at the same time was of a brownish colour, and so thick that at last it scarcely dropped from the canula. This circumstance was undoubtedly owing to the dog's health, which was bad. It had lost weight, had diarrhoea, greyish-coloured and even later bloody stools. Por several days at this period the animal took only a little bread and milk. Dr. MosLERt, in his investigations, proposed to himself the question, What substances introduced into the blood appear in the bile ? In some of the experiments a solution of the substance to be tried was injected into the blood, in others the medicine was given by the mouth, and the bile afterwards tested, to ascertain if it contained any trace of the substance ad- ministered. With regard to mercury, he tells us that on the 23rd of May, at seven o'clock a.m., 5 grains of calomel in a little bread and milk were given to a dog, who had a completely healed biliary fistula. All the bile secreted till three o'clock p.m. was collected by means of a sponge and tested for mercury, but not the slightest trace of it could be discovered. At four o'clock P.M. 10 grains of calomel were administered to the same animal, and for greater accuracy a small tube with a caoutchouc bag attached was introduced into the fistula, and kept there till next morning. ]No trace of mercury was found in the collected bile, and no striking increase of the biliary secretion was remarked. After this experiment the animal was dull, ate less than usual, and had thin very offensive stools. To make a trial of the drug in smaller doses. Dr. Mosler gave the same animal one grain of calomel every hour from the 25th to the 26th of May, so that altogether 25 grains of calomel were given; no trace of mercury could be found in the collected bile. To another powerful dog with biliary fistula he gave, on the 19th of August, at nine o'clock, three pills, each containing 3 grains of calomel. Fext morning at six o'clock a.m., three similar pills were given, and at nine o'clock two more—so that the dog had 30 grains of calomel in eighteen hours. The bile discharged from the fistula was carefully collected by a sponge, from three o'clock on August 11th till the same hour on i\ugust 12th. Compared with the quantity collected during twenty-four hours on the day previous to that of the experiment, there was no striking increase of bile, nor did it contain any trace of mercury. He repeated this experiment with 24 grains of calomel with the same negative result. Dr. Mosler concludes ■^ Cantsatt's Jahresbericlit, 18.52, Heft. i. p. 156. t Virchow's ' Archiv/ Band xiii. S. 29 (18.5S), p 2$