The Distribution of Body Water and Electrolytes in Adrenal Insufficiency 1

The mode of action of the hormone of the adrenal cortex necessary for life has been the subject of much discussion. Among the prominent hypotheses for explaining the symptoms of adrenal cortical insufficiency are loss of sodium and chloride with accompanying changes in the distribution of body water (1, 2, 3); toxic effects of potassium (4, 5, 6, 7); disturbance in the dis- tribution of body water not clearly related to loss of sodium or retention of potassium (8); and disturbances in metabolism or carbohydrate (9). Since it seems, at present, bootless to attempt to relate the anomalies in carbohydrate metabolism to the disturbances in metabolism of water and electrolyte, this aspect of the function of the adrenal cortex will not be discussed. The present investigation was undertaken to determine by tis- sue analyses the actual distribution of water and electrolyte in the tissues of adrenalectomized rats in relation to the toxic action of potassium and the therapeutic effect of sodium salts.