432

diminished to the point of circulatory collapse.Furthermore, the rapid onset of hyperglycaemia whichROSENTHAL shows as an accompaniment to the fall oftemperature after aconitine suggests a sympathetico-mimetic action rather than vagal overactivity ;indeed, a fair interpretation of this phenomenon isthat the sharp fall of temperature stimulated theadrenal to staunch the flow of radiant heat by meansof vaso-constriction, and that the accompanyinghyperglycaemia reinforced this mechanism, whichaimed at restoring thermal equilibrium. The well-known antagonism between picrotoxin and thebarbiturates is illustrated by RosENTHAL’s experi-ments ; the cooling action of picrotoxin was practic-ally abolished by the simultaneous injection of

phenobarbitone. The fact that these two drugscancel one another out in the pharmacological senserather than by chemical union is confirmed by theobservation that either of them alone is capable ofproducing a fall of temperature. Moreover, the

masking effect of the phenobarbitone on the picrotoxincooling phenomenon proves that this cooling actionmust be the result of stimulation of a separate centreand not merely the consequence of paralysis of heat-production centres. One of the dangers of being underthe influence of narcotics is that these drugs produceincreased susceptibility to changes in temperature inone’s surroundings. HERRMANN has shown that sub-hypnotic doses of depressants to the central nervoussystem, including morphine, pentobarbital and

paraldehyde, cause loss of control over temperatureregulation ; and the toxicity of these drugs was found

. to be increased by low environmental temperatures.I These results, obtained in animals, may have some

therapeutic application in the management of patientswho are allowed to go about while receiving hypnoticdrugs-epileptics, for example, who are taking severalgrains of phenobarbitone daily. Furthermore, a fewyears ago we were assured by

" the trade " that everysailor knows that rum keeps the cold out, and

pharmacologists were bewildered by this contradictionto their own teaching. Certainly if HERMANN’Sresults are applicable to the methane series ofnarcotics generally rum is more likely to let the coldin, though the sailor with rum inside him may notcare either way.So far the drugs which have been shown to possess

this cooling action are also noteworthy for their hightoxicity. Picrotoxin is finding its way back intotherapeutics merely as an alternative to strychninein the treatment of barbitone poisoning, but evenhere the drug is rightly classified among the desperateremedies. Aconitine once enjoyed a considerable

reputation as a diaphoretic and antipyretic, but awell-founded prejudice against. cold sweats and

increasing recognition of its harmful effects led to itsabandonment by the physician. In any case, such a

drug could hardly be expected to hold its own when. aspirin was made available. Perhaps the main value

of the recent.precise work on cooling drugs is that itjustifies a search for new substances-possibly syn-thetic products-with a pharmacological action on thehypothalamus comparable to that of the picrotoxingroup of drugs, and yet having that margin of safetywhich POULSSON used to call " latitude of therapeuticaction.

_

2. Herrmann, J. B. Ibid, June, 1941, p. 130.

Annotations

RADIOLOGY AS A CAREER

THE events of the last two years have shifted manymedical careers into other channels and have raiseddoubts about the prospects after the war of this or thatbranch of medicine. There is however little doubt thatthere will be a shortage of radiologists unless newlyqualified men turn their thoughts now in that direction.The Ministry of Health is prepared to enrol in the

Emergency Medical Service radiology house-surgeons atselected hospitals in London and the provinces. Appli-cants must satisfy the deans of their medical faculties orschools that they intend to take up radiology and areprepared to enter for a diploma in medical radiology atthe termination of their course of study. The selectedhospitals will be so situated that attendance at coursesof instruction will be practicable, and successful appli-cants will be required to undergo the appropriate courseof instruction, paying the necessary fees. Applicantsmust have held a house appointment at a hospital forat least six months, and preference will be given to thosewith longer clinical experience. The salary will be atthe rate of f200 a year with an additional n 00 for boardand lodging if the officer is required to live outside thehospital. Applications should be made (through thedeans or group officers) to the Director of Establishments,Ministry of Health, Caxton House, London, S.W.I.

FOUNDATION OF THE NUTRITION SOCIETY

NUTRITION, more than almost any other subject,concerns scientists of widely different training andoutlook. The clinician has always been concerned withdietetics, and in the last 25 years he has come to recognisemore and more diseases caused by nutritional deficiencies.The study of the digestion, assimilation and metabolismof foodstuffs occupies many physiologists ; and bio-chemists are engaged more on nutritional problems thanon any other single branch of their science. Economists,sociologists, public-health officials, agriculturists andchemists too are all deeply concerned with the scienceof nutrition, but there has hitherto been no commonmeeting ground for discussion. Even the Biochemicaland Physiological Societies and the nutrition panel ofthe Society of Chemical Industry include only a minorityof those who are interested in nutrition. Before thiswar workers engaged on nutritional research had oftendiscussed the desirability of founding a scientific,societythat would embrace all who had a genuine interest inthe various branches of the subject. A year ago aninformal group composed of about twenty representativesof the main laboratories working on nutrition started tomeet about once a month. But it soon became apparentthat even in war-time it was desirable to have meetingsthat were more formal and had a much larger attendance.Representatives of the institutes interested therefore metat the Royal Institution and decided to form theNutrition Society, with the following provisional com-mittee : Sir John Orr, M.D., F.R.S., Rowett ResearchInstitute (chairman) ; John Hammond, F.R.S., Schoolof Agriculture, Cambridge (vice-chairman) ; LeslieHarris, D.Sc., Nutritional Laboratory, Cambridge (hon.secretary) ; A. L. Bacharach, Glaxo Ltd. (hon. treasurer ;Harriette Chick, D.Sc., Lister Institute ; Ethel M. Cruick-shank, Ph.D., School of Agriculture, Cambridge ; H. H.Green, D.Sc., Veterinary Laboratory, Weybridge ; Prof.H. P. Himsworth, M.D., University College Hospital; Prof.A. St. G. Huggett, M.B., St. Mary’s Hospital; FranklinKidd, D.Sc., Food Investigation Board ; S. K. Kon,D.Sc., National Institute’ for Research in Dairying;B. S. Platt, M.B., Medical Research Council; H. M.Sinclair, D.M., Department of Biochemistry, Oxford.About 230 scientists who are or have been working onnutrition have been invited to become original members ;