The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-09-26
Nan n Laboratory OF POiSoaS.

studs has been devoted hy the profeS-
lion to the whole subject Of Infection.
am. onc If the most interesting facts
discovered in this connection i that
the organisms snay he poisoned hy the
products Of it, OWN making. T!n>
anto infection. a. i, i> called. wa> the
>uljcr, Of y paper hy DR.. Hickman
read before the Medical Society of the
Stat Of Washington. May >. and re.
published in the Mi;"h ,.>'"ti"'L
pr. Hickman ARGUES ~ follows
III is known that in the normal
rroccS, Of digestion Of ordinary foods.
there are some formed at certain sta
a. products which. if thrown into the
circulation. will produce alarming
symptoms and even death. Now sup
rnSc that portion If the digestive ma
chincry whose function it Is. in some
way or other. lo dispose Of such toxic
product. be unable to perform its task
and the toxin be absorbed. Or. t" be
more specific: 1t has been established
that the urinary tract from the tubull
of the kidney To the mcatuS Is non
absorbing surface Now rob j, Of It's
cpithclial covering at 4 point where
the urine is constantly in contact with
it. and the organism becomes speedily
intoxicated.
In the whole range Of animate cX-
is,cncc it has been found that the cx-
crctinns. in condition Of health. con
tain clements that are poisonous. and
venture to predict that in the near
future much light will be thrown upon
many pathogcnic processes. not yet
well understood. by more careful
study Of the cxcretions. Now,
if these poiSons are present in Greater
quantities than can be disposed "f.
then the system will be infected and
intoxication must enSuc. Thus
it becomes Il scientific fact that We are
continually on the brink of dc>truc-
ton by reason of natural processes.
AS one observer says very aptly
we are laboratory Of polSonS. Then
why do We not succumb? The reasons
lie with the cxcrctory organs and with
the liver. The liver has been found
to separate from the blood very many
poi<on> and to destroy some. Schlff
asccrtaincd that by injecting certain
alkalnidS into Il branch of the portal
vein the proportion of the poison IN
the blood aS it came from the liver
was much lcSscning He also found
that a definite amount in proportion
to body weight of nicotine As well as
other toxic alkaloidS, would, when in
jcctcd into a rcriphcral vein, prod nee
in!oxication this same quantity, when
in icctcd into branch Of the portal
vein, would not produce any result.
lie further found that such dose Of
nicotine as would onl y intoxicatc when
injected into the portal vein would
kill after tying the portal vein. These
experiments make positive proof that
the liver destroys certain amount OF
toxic substances. 1t was also found
that. when certain alkoloids in doses
known to be toxic wcrc trlturatcd
with liver tissue. the result Of the in
fusion injected was nil; the same
quantity. when tritu:atcd with muscle
or kidney tissue. invariably killed.
In the light of these facts we must
admire the therapeutic >agacity OF our
forcfathcrs in medicine, who were con-
tinually having watchful eye for tor
pid livcrs, and wei may well takca hint
from them. As to the cxcrctlons we
have not even time to gallop across
this field; but We will all do well to
fastcn in our minds the important
therapeutic hints we may CLEAN from
this study.
"Brunton has told us that the feel
ing Of laSsitudc and drow>lncs> after
meals is due to the absorption OF
toxins derived from protcidS. and that
these sensations decrease upon diet
devoid Of protcidS. Is it not likely
that the nervous phenomena of indl-
ecStion are due to the absorption of
toxins?
1T would be intcrestingto to consider
the factors Of so-callcd biliou>nc>>:
we would learn that auto-infcction IS
at the basis Of these conditions to an
extent greater than generally believed.
Think of the large army of ailments
due to the absorption Of impcrfcctly |
oxidizcd products Of digestion. | r;r-
mia is no longer believed to be due
either to the absorption Of urea or
to its defective elimination, but rather
to the influence Of various pol>ons
normally eliminated by the urine:
thus is explained that we sometimes
observe convul>ionS and again coma.
1T is very likely that certain forms
Of chloroSis are due to auto-infcctlon:
very certain it is that treatment
based upon thi, idea is often more
successful than the usual fcrrurinou>
treatment. Whence comes the So
called bilious taste in the morning?
The bile is tastclc>s. 1t must be. as
suggested by l'runton, an alka!old cx-
crctcd by the saliYary glands.
81 have under treatment case OF
cirrhotic kidney. who will have 4 brief /
chill almost every day, followed by a
headache and dizziness, unless his
bowels or skin are kept active.
'Ccrtain headaches recurring at
greater or less length Of interval are
only cxplainablc upon the basis of
sclf-nfcction are certainly amcnabIc
to Il treatment along the lines lndlca-
ted.