Evening star., 1939-05-17
Fatal Heart MaIadies
Traced 10 Excitement
By Scientists
Experiments With Dogs
Produce Various
Diseases Of Organ
BY stan Correspondent of The Star.

TIVuuSS VOIlOuS
Diseases Of Oreon
BY Stan Correspondent Of The Star.
ST. LOUIS, May 17.-Experiment-
al production of fatal heart mala-
dies in dogs, which ties up the most
prevalent present cause of death
to the excitement of living, was de-
scribed to the American Medical As
sociation here today by DR.. G. E.
Hall of the Banting Institute,
Toronto.
The heart, DR.. Hall explained, is
primarily under control of the
vagus nerve of the autonomic
nervous system. 1t has been recog-
n1zed for sometime that when auto
nomlc nerves are activated there is
released from the nerve endings a
substance known as acetylcholine
which enables the nervous impulses
to jump the gaps from one nerve
to another and also may act as a
powerful stimulant.
Under natural conditions this
substance Is destroyed almost in
stantly by an engine. Thus its con-
centration always is kept low and it
has a chance to do only the job
intended for it. The Banting In
stitute experimenters decided to see
what would happen if too much
acetylcholine was provided for the
engine to destroy.
Heart Conditions Developed.
The autonomic nervous system
is primarily the seat of the emotions
The production of acetylcholine is
proportional to the degree of stimu-
lation of the system Under q con-
slant emotional stress, such as is
common in the perplexities of pres
ent-day life, the nerves are kept in a
continual state of high tension. 1t
may be, they reasoned, that this
results in too much acetylcholine
for the engine to destroy and a
state of constant imbalance is
| created.
They gave their dogs minute
daily injections of the drug, pro-
ducing just about the surplus sup
ply which might be expected from
emotional stress. They found that
they were able to produce heart
murmurs as early as the twelfth day
and that the older the animals the
sooner these appeared. Eventually
all the animals died and character
lstic degenerative changes were
found in their hearts. Heart throm-
bosis was found in all the older ami
mails, The younger dogs developed
various heart conditions.
They were unable to produce the
same sort of changes, DR.. Hall said
injection of other drugs having es-
sentially the same action as acetyl-
choline. Hence. they decided, the
effects were due to a toxic action
OF this drug alone on the heart.
Produce Gastric Ulcers.
Naturally, DR.. Hall said, one
would expect the same results from
a continuous stimulation of the
vagus nerve. This is extremely diff
cult to produce experimentally. The
| animals must be anaesthetized and
tend to die of pneumonia. They
have worked out technique, how
ever, in which it can be done under
slight anaesthesia and have found
that mild heart degenerative
changes may take place after from
10 to 100 hours of continuous vagus
stimulation by electricity. Nat
urally, they said, such changes would
require about 200 days to develop
In from 80 to 40 hours, however
they were able to produce severe
gastric ulcers.
The autonomic nervous system is
split in two parts with antagonistic
effects so that they act to balance
each other. The vague nerve be-
longs to the so-called parasympa-
thetic system. Thus suggested the
next experiment, inhibition of the
sympathetic nerve supply to the
heart. This, they found resulted in
decided slowing of the heart rate
and marked heart distinction, with
frequent distress on the part of the
animals.
The health of the heart, DR.. Hall
concluded, is dependent on a natural
balance established in the body, and
anything which markedly upsets this
balance may cause a wide variety of
heart ailments which differ with diff
ferent individuals.
Produces Sleep.
Vitamin B1 is proving an ideal
sleep producer in cases of insomnia
alcoholism, various nervous mala-
dies, the degeneration of advancing
age and the like. it was stressed
at the same meeting by DR.. Louis
j. Karnosh of Cleveland. In Ger
tain cases it may be supplemented by
vitamin c, used in the prevention
of scurvy, he said.
The former vitamin especially. he
said, promises to do away almost en-
tirely with the poisonous barbiturate
drugs which have been widely used
by physicians to produce sleep and
which are purchased in great guam
titles from corner drug stores.