COMPARATIVE ACTION OF ACETYL-BETA-METHYL CHOLINE AND HISTAMINE ON THE RESPIRATORY TRACT IN NORMALS, PATIENTS WITH HAY FEVER, AND SUBJECTS WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA 1

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Abstract
The reaction of the tracheobronchial tree, measured chiefly by changes in the vital capacity, to mecholyl chloride in doses of 0.25-6.0 mg. intramusc. was detd. in 3 groups of subjects. The reactions were compared with thos.e due to parenteral histamine administered chiefly by the intraven. route in doses of 0.02 to 0.04 mg. of the base. In the normal group of 10 subjects, 3 had a slight reduction in vital capacity after intramusc. injn: of 6 mg. mecholyl chloride though all noted a feeling of tightness in the chest. All of the group of 11 patients with hay fever had some degree of reduction in vital capacity after mecholyl chloride but only 6 of the 11 subjects had a reduction after histamine. All of the 27 asthmatic subjects suffered a reduction in vital capacity after mecholyl chloride and 23 had a reduction after histamine. It appears, as a result of these studies, that the tracheobronchial tree in hay fever and asthma is more reactive to mecholyl chloride than to histamine. Benadryl, a potent anti-hista-mine agent, prevented the reduction in vital capacity due to histamine but failed to influence the reduction due to mecholyl chloride. Prostigmine failed to augment the reduction in vital capacity due to histamine. It appeared that histamine and mecholyl chloride acted independently in producing a reduction in vital capacity in the reactive cases.