Pyrogenic Reactions Following Intravenous Saline Infusions

the blood cannot neutralize or buffer, reactions characterized by chill and prostration follow. The present paper reports a study of these two rival theories. Origin of the work : In order to render saline solutions used in cholera cases nonpyrogenic, Panja, Malik, Paul and Ghosh (1942) prepared hypertonic saline solutions in freshly prepared distilled water and observed that these did not produce any rigor or rise of temperature in cholera cases. It was concluded from these findings that the reactions were due to the pyrogenic substance alone as described by Seibert and others. Later, alkaline saline solutions, which are also extensively required in the treatment of cholera, were prepared in freshly prepared distilled water and injected intravenously into patients. There was sometimes a rigor and a rise of temperature, though less marked than when tap water which is alkaline in reaction was used. These findings encouraged the following experiments on rabbits and cholera