THE EFFECTS OF ANTICHOLINESTERASES ON HUMORAL TRANSMISSION IN THE SUBMAXILLARY GLAND

Abstract

The purpose of the investigation was to study the effect of anticholinesterases on the secretion of saliva by the submaxillary gland, and especially the spontaneous secretion provoked by those agents. The humoral transmitter of parasympathetic stimuli for salivary secretion has been shown to be acetylcholine (Beznak, 1932; Gibbs and Szeloczey, 1932), and that for sympathetic stimuli adrenaline (or noradrenaline) (Cattell, Wolff and Clark, 1934). There are definite but unexplained inter-relations between these two forms of nerve or humoral stimuli. METHODS Cats and dogs were used. Anaesthetics were pento- barbitone sodium (" Nembutal "), intraperitoneal or intravenous; chloralose, intravenous; urethane, intra- venous; allobarbitone (" Dial ")-urethane, intraperi- toneal.