Abstract
In order to investigate the influence of procaine, which is closely related to cocaine on the chick embryo, thus to elucidate the action of procaine at the embryonal stage, the author carried out the following experiments.
First of all, attempt was made to learn the toxicity of procaine from the influence of procaine on the hatching of the fertilized hens' eggs, and further, the influence on the development of chick embryo was observed. Furthermore, the influence of procaine on the allantoic fluid, egg yolk, egg white and amniotic fluid was investigated, and quantitative determination of procaine and its decomposition products contained in these parts of egg was conducted in order to trace the diffusion and distribution within the living body of procaine injected into the egg white. The principal results thus obtained are as follows.
With the addition of procaine exceeding 10 mg, perfect hatching of the chick embryo was hardly attained. Procaine injected into the egg white may be excreted through the egg yolk first and then the chick embryo, into the allantoic fluid (amniotic fluid) . In the case with theinjection of 1 mg of procaine, the determined value of procaine and its decomposition products contained in the chick embryo almost did not fluctuate during the entire incubation period. However, in the case with injection of 5 mg of procaine, the determined value was found increased as the incubation progressed. In this cases, the determinedd value of allantoic fluid was found gradually increased to reach the maximum on the 15 thh day of incubation. Contrary to this, the values of egg yolk and egg white were found decreased as the incubation progressed.
