CONTINUOUS METABOLIC STUDIES ON NORMAL AND DEPANCREATIZED DOGS DURING REPEATED WHOLE BODY X IRRADIATION
Experiments on normal and depancreatized bitches were carried out to determine how well multiple doses of 90 r or less of X radiation are tolerated, and whether there are any metabolic effects suggesting stimulation or suppression of the adrenals. In two normal animals, total dosage for the main portion of the trunk was 574 and 3549 r, in 4 and 22 months, respectively; in the depancreatized one, 807 r in 9 months. Dosages for head and pelvis approximated 44% of these amounts. Food intake was constant, and daily records were kept of body weight, water intake, urine volume, and urine nitrogen. The general condition of all animals remained excellent. Periods of estrus continued. Weight was maintained or increased during long series of exposures. No changes in water balance or nitrogen output occurred which resembled those observed in dogs receiving corticotropin or hydrocortisone (1). In the depancreatized animal, the insulin requirement, known for 5 preceding years, was unaffected. Thus no evidence for stimulation or suppression of adrenal function was obtained. Histological examination of bone marrow and other tissues of the animal which received the largest total dose gave little evidence of damage. Moderate increases in urine volume of the normal animals suggested possible early renal impairment.