The Journal of experimental medicine
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1. Adrenalin injected intraperitoneally increases the rapidity of absorption of fluid from the peritoneal cavity, independently of whether the solution to be absorbed is hypotonic or hypertonic or is approximately isotonic with the blood serum. The intravenous injection of adrenalin also increases the absorption of fluid, but not so markedly as does the intraperitoneal injection. 2. ⋯ Therefore, calcium chloride increases directly the transudation into the peritoneal cavity and does not cause an increase in the amount of fluid in the peritoneal cavity merely by inhibiting the absorption. 8. It follows that adrenalin does not increase the amount of peritoneal transudate found after the intravenous infusion of large quantities of sodium chloride solution, to which adrenalin has been added, by delaying the absorption from the peritoneal cavity. The increased amounts of peritoneal fluid must be due to increased transudation into the peritoneal cavity; and the adrenalin, in view of its marked effect on absorption from the peritoneal cavity, must increase the movement of fluid into the peritoneal cavity much more strongly than could be assumed from the figures obtained in the infusion experiments.