The Excretion of Posterior Pituitary Antidiuretic Hormone in the Urine and Its Detection in the Blood¹

The experiments of Gilman and Goodman (1937) clearly demonstrated in rats that an effective osmotic stimulus such as dehydration or the administration of hypertonic saline solution could cause the secretion of posterior-pituitary antidiuretic hormone which was detected after its excretion in the urine. These results have been confirmed by other investigators using rats, cats and dogs (Boylston and Ivy, 1938; Ingram, Ladd and Benbow, 1939; Hare, Hickey and Hare, 1941). Walker (1939) who performed most of his experiments with rabbits did not agree with the other workers. The experiments of Gilman and Goodman were the first in which the urinary hormone under investigation was secreted by the gland in situ. Earlier, as well as later experiments revealed that oxytocic, pressor or antidiuretic activity appeared in the urine of various mammals after the injection of posterior-pituitary extracts which usually had to be administered in large doses intravenously