Evening star., 1932-01-07
POISON IN BLOOD
MAY STIR ANGER
Psychologists of Catholic u.
Discover Evidences in Ex-
periments With Mice.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

Evidence pointing to the existence of
poison in the blood, Of unknown nature
and origin, which accompanies and may
be responsible for periods of wild eX-
citeinent during which Self-control is
impossible, has been found in expert
ments at the psychological laboratory
of Catholic University here.
Blood of patients during the excited
episodes Of various insanities was in
jected into laboratory mice. profound
effect on the basic life processes Of the
animals was shown by the great in
crease in the respiratory quotient,'
the ratio between the amount Of oxygen
breathed in and the amount Of carbon
dioxide given off by the body both be-
ing measured by special device. After
the injections this figure nearly dou-
bled in some cases. In Sc per cent Of
crease, but there was decrease in the
remaining Is per cent, possibly indi-
eating some overlooked factor.
Other mice were injected with the
blood Of persons suffering profound de-
pressions and Of normal persons. The
changes in the respiratory quotients
were insignificant. The blood of de-
pressed patients seemed to have a
slightly greater effect than that from
normal individuals and observations in
dicated that if there actually was a
depression toxin" in the blood it acted
much more slowly than the poison pro-
ducing the opposite effect.
Toxin Not Isolated.
The excitement poison itself is not
positively postulated by the expert
ments, since it does not appear possible
to isolate at present. The conclusion Is
that the physiological system OF the
mouse behaves as if it were being acted
upon by some powerfully toxic sub
stance which does not exist in other
kinds of blood or in normal blood
serum.
Care was used during the experiments
not to take blood from persons known
to be suffering from any infection. TIE
injecting agency itself would act as
poison, without the need of poStulatlng
any hypothetical chemical substance.
The hypothetical poison, it is pointed
out in the report on the experiments,
seemed common to excessive excite
ments in general and not to be specif1c
to any particular mental disease. EX-
periments were made with the blood Of
persons suffering from involution mel
ancholia, paranoia, senile and epileptic
psychoses, the four kinds of dementia
precox and the two phases of manic
Oppressive psychosis. The effect is very
rapid, the maximum change in the res
piration quotient taking place within
the first hour after injection. Return
to normal gets under way during the
second hour.
II the same thing responsible for the
physiological changes in the mice also
causes the behavior changes in human
beings, there would be an explanation
Al. lzI 1f fnl
while periods of low spirits and abnor-
NAL depression more gradually aff1ict an
individual. The injections proved fatal
to some Of the mice, but there appar-
emily was no relation between the NOR
tality and the extent of the respiratory
uuotient increase. Some OF the mice
which suffered the greatest changes in
this respect showed no bad after effects.
All the injections were made almost
Immediately after the blood had been
taken from patients in Baltimore
hospital. The poison, If future expert
mentS demonstrate that 1t actually ex-
lists apparently is produced by some
chemical changes in the body itself and
may be a secondary manifestation Of
the fundamental conditions responsible
for the mental and emotional disturb
ance. Every effort was made to rule
out toxins of bacterial origin invading
the body from the outside. A hidden
bacterial infection, Of course, is not
ruled out.
Brain Affected by Blood.
While previous work Of bio-chenists,
It is pointed out in the report of the
Catholic University experiments, seems
to have eliminated most of the constit
uents Of the blood from any direct con-
nection with the mental status, 1t is
known that abnormal states in the
blood stream produce profound effects
on human behavior as regulated by the
brain. This is shown by the delirium
which often precedes the dreaded coma
of the diabetic The effects of alcohol
are cited as another example Of
known substance producing rather
definite mental states. Recent German