Distribution of Iodine in Blood Serum and in Cerebrospinal Fluid

Conflicting reports in the literature on the amount and distribution of iodine in the blood and in the cerebrospinal fluid suggested the reinvestigation of these problems with reliable methods. The iodine contents of the serum and spinal fluid were determined for 6 patients who were free from meningeal disorders and had normal spinal fluid proteins. To a second group of 8 similar patients approximately 0.1 Gm. of inorganic iodine in the form of compound solution of iodine U. S. P. was administered daily for three to seven days before the samples of spinal fluid were obtained. Organic iodine in the form of thyroid was given instead of inorganic iodine to an additional patient. Finally, 1 patient with meningovascular syphilis and high spinal fluid proteins was studied. The recently developed permanganate acid ashing method of Riggs and Man 1 avoids the positive errors of previous methods. In addition, in serum by