Part 47

December 13-22: Put on meat diet exclusively, high temperature, no caffein, weight 10 kilos, appetite good, feces fetid.

December 22: 12 a. m., weight 11 kilos, received 1.2 grams caffein by mouth (0.109 gram per kilo); 4 p. m., no symptoms.

December 23: 11.30 a. m., received 1.375 grams caffein (0.125 gram per kilo) had vomited food of the day before, but could notice no caffein or capsules in vomit; 4.30 p. m., no symptoms, seemed in good spirits, appetite good, had no meat to feed with, so was given low nitrogen feed, of which he ate about one-fourth.

December 24: 9 a. m., found dead, stiff, and cold. The most striking effect of caffein in this dog is the increased intestinal putrefaction. The feces were still fetid 10 days after the administration of caffein was stopped.

Autopsy, dog 28: Stomach partially filled with an undigested food mass; mucosa showed severe inflammation; small intestines presented a hemorrhagic enteritis along whole extent; large intestine also exhibited mild inflammation; liver was engorged; spleen appeared normal; kidneys slightly congested in cortical portion; other organs appeared normal.

Dog 24. White and tan male: Was put on low protein diet six weeks before experiments with caffein were begun. The initial dose of 50 mg per kilo was then administered on eight consecutive days. The only symptoms observed during this period of caffein administration were those of intestinal putrefaction. Fetid feces were noticed already after the first dose of caffein was injected. When the second dose of 75 mg of caffein was repeated, mild symptoms appeared, but none have been observed even with increased amounts of caffein.

One-third nitrogen diet. Received daily 0.269 gram nitrogen per kilo (88.269 calories per kilo).

October 26: Weight 11.15 kilos. Food consisted of 5 grams cracker meal per kilo; meat, 3 grams per kilo; lard, 2 grams per kilo; tapioca, 10.69 grams per kilo. Kept in a cold, damp room with poor ventilation until November 20.

November 3: Weight, 11 kilos.

November 10: Weight, 10.75 kilos.

November 20: Weight, 10.55 kilos; changed to a warm room, with bedding and good ventilation.

November 29: Weight, 10.85 kilos.

December 1: Put into a cage.

December 6: Weight, 10.90 kilos; 11.25 a. m., received 28 cc 2 per cent caffein subcutaneously in side, below the shoulders, area washed with alcohol and ether, approximately 50 mg per kilo administered, no symptoms.

December 7: 10.15 a. m., received 28 cc 2 per cent caffein injected subcutaneously; feces soft and very fetid; 1 p. m., depressed in spirit, eyes dull.

December 9: 10.45 a. m., received 25 cc 2 per cent caffein solution subcutaneously, feces still fetid, site of injection inflamed and swollen, no other symptoms.

December 10: Inflammation of area of injection more pronounced; 2 p. m., given 0.5449 gram caffein and 30 grams of meat; 4 p. m., fed, no symptoms, feces fetid.

December 11: 12 a. m., given 0.5459 gram caffein and 30 grams of meat, no symptoms, feces fetid.

December 12, 13: Given 0.5459 gram caffein daily, without noticing any symptoms.

December 14: 12 a. m., received 0.817 gram caffein (75 mg per kilo); 2.30 p. m., restless and uncomfortable, no other symptoms.

December 15: 11.30 a. m., received 0.8175 gram caffein by mouth; 2 p. m., depressed in spirit, acted as though sick, no other symptoms.

December 16: Weight, 11 kilos; 11 a. m., received 0.100 gram caffein per kilo (1.100 grams) by mouth, no symptoms.

December 17: Rested.

December 18: 2.30 p. m., received 1.100 grams caffein by mouth; 4 p. m., no symptoms.

December 19: 12 noon, received 1.100 grams caffein by mouth; 4.15 p. m., no symptoms.

December 20: 2.45 p. m., given 1.375 grams caffein (0.125 gram per kilo); 3.45 p. m., vomited--one of the capsules being found intact, the other broken open; 4 p. m., given regular diet, containing 1.3757 grams caffein in capsules, ate most of this during the night, whined at intervals, coordination disturbed, appeared very sick, but exhibited no other symptoms.

December 21: 9 a. m., found dead, stiff, and cold.

The total amount of caffein received by dog 24 was between 10.109 and 11.484 grams. As one of the capsules vomited was intact and the other broken open, the amount was probably about 10.75 grams. The fatal dose in this case was undoubtedly less than 185 mg per kilo--somewhere between 125 and 185 mg. Autopsy showed heart in diastole; posterior lobe of right lung deeply congested; liver engorged; gall cyst filled; spleen appeared normal; stomach well filled with semifluid mass; pyloric portion of stomach exhibited a severe inflammation of mucosa; mucosa of duodenum greatly inflamed and showed hemorrhagic areas and catarrhal exudate; remainder of small intestine also exhibited mild inflammation; kidneys deeply engorged, mesentery injected.