The Effect of Toxemia on Tolerance for Dextrose

The fact that toxemias, from whatever origin, cause a disturbance in the tolerance for dextrose of laboratory animals or human beings has been definitely established. This has been noted clinically and experimentally. Clinically, it is illustrated by the much feared infections of diabetic patients. The effect is that of producing a delay in the removal of dextrose from the blood stream or, in other words, a decreased tolerance. The exact explanation of this phenomenon is lacking. Lawrence and Buckley,1judging from a series of experiments on rabbits intoxicated with diphtheria toxin, are of the opinion that it is due to a glycogenolysis produced by a stimulation of the "thyroid adrenal apparatus." Tisdall and his co-workers,2experimenting with puppies intoxicated with diphtheria toxin and histamine, do not come to any definite conclusion regarding the explanation of this phenomenon. They feel that intoxication may produce its effect on the tolerance for sugar