Abstract
Relating to the general conception that sodium chloride plays an important part in the survival of totally adrenalectomized animal, the author conducted a series of experiment concerning the possible influences of sodium chloride administration to the adrenalectomized white rats upon the gustatory threshold and the plasma chloride concentration. The same gustatory threshold experiments were performed on the adrenalectomized white rats to examine the effect of Cortisone acetate administration. The results obtained are summarized as follows. 1. Plasma chloride concentration showed a decrease of about 6% after adrenalectomy. The animals became thirsty for the salt solution. When examined by the preference method, they developed as keen susceptibility for the salt solution that they could detect about twenty five times diluted salt solution as did the normal animal. 2. Although the total elimination of adrenal eventually proved fatal to the animal, administration of salt solution increased their survival period, presumably due in one part to compensating function of accessory adrenal developed during the certain time interval after the operation. 3. Gustatory threshold change to the salt solution after adrenalectomy did not suffer any appreciable fluctuation by the administration of Cortisone acetate.
