The influence of insulin administered by alimentary tract on the blood sugar of etherized and adrenalized animals.

Numerous experiments on some twenty-five dogs and half a dozen cats have been performed in the attempt to demonstrate clearly the absorption of insulin from the alimentary tract. This is not difficult when the insulin is placed directly in the intestine. A sharp drop in the hyperglycemia of ether anesthesia is easily obtained. But when insulin is given by mouth to animals treated with ether or adrenalin or both the demonstration often fails because when it is adequately protected against the stomach, absorption of the insulin from the intestine is much retarded and controls are difficult to establish. An interval of at least five days is necessary in order to insure a return of the glycogen storage to normal, and after half a dozen treatments with ether for several hours at a time there seems to be permanent impairment of the capacity to store glycogen. Alcohol up to 20 per cent and in amount sufficient to thoroughly intoxicate does not materially improve the absorption.

Some advantage clearly was gained from the administration of insulin both in solution and in enteric coated tablets, combined with sodium oleate.