FURTHER STUDIES ON THE EFFECT OF IODIDES ON THE HUMAN NITROGEN METABOLISM’

In a previous study (1) it was shown that the urinary nitrogen excretion of normal men on a constant protein diet is increased by the administration of small doses of sodium and potassium iodides. It was also shown that the increase in excretion is immediate when the sodium salt is given and delayed when potas-sium iodide is exhibited. In the present study further observa-tions were made on the effects of these and other iodides on the nitrogen excretion. It has been possible to show that the effects are different depending upon the cation of the salt and that iodine as iodides undoubtedly increases the nitrogen excretion. Two Russian investigators (2, 3) in the eighties are the only ones who have demonstrated definite effects from the administration of iodides. Their experiments were carried out on dogs and very large doses were used. We have been unable to find in the litera-ture any investigation since that time until the careful experi-ments of Hesse (11) who was able to show clearly an increase in nitrogen catabolism caused by iodine in dogs. The experimental procedure was as follows. The patients selected for this investigation were either those suffering from mild psychoneuroses or early psychoses, whose cooperation was unquestioned, and whose physical condition presented no abnor-malities. They were kept in a small ward and were under con-‘This paper is No. 38 of a series of studies in metabolism from the Harvard Medical School and allied hospitals. The expenses of this investigation hav