Effect of Carbon Arc Irradiation and Adrenal Cortical Preparations on Capillary Permeability.

Abstract

In studies concerning the cause of the reduction in blood pressure following carbon arc irradiation, it was of interest to obtain an estimate of the extent and degree of changes in capillary permeability produced by the irradiation. For this purpose Menken's trypan blue test1 was used on rabbits.The animals were divided into 2 groups of 10 each. Group I served as normal controls; Group II were irradiated over the abdominal area. The abdomen of all the rabbits was shaved at approximately the same time. One hour later Group II was exposed to the carbon arc lamp for 30 to 40 minutes at a distance of one meter. Four hours later all animals received intravenously 8 to 10 cc of 1% solution of trypan blue in normal saline. Two hours after injecting the dye the animals were carefully examined over the irradiated area of the abdomen, then killed, and the viscera compared with reference to the degree of staining by the dye.The results showed striking differences. The skin and abdominal viscera of control animals pr...