title: Use of the dog spleen for studying effects of irradiation and chemotherapeutic agents, with suggested uses of other organs.
abstract: The irradiation of the exteriorized spleen of the dog, with the animal lead-shielded, produced constant changes in the white blood cells. The time of recovery from the irradiation effect was determined. The normal canine spleen could handle  live pneumococci injected into the splenic artery, as proven by sterile cultures of splenic vein samples. The size of the bolus used was determined by repeated trials and proved to be one billion pneumococci per pound of body weight. The capacity of the irradiated spleen to handle this number of pneumococci was impaired. It was found that whole body irradiation, nitrogen mustard, thio-tepa, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, 5-fluorouracil, vinblastine, and azothioprine all impaired this capacity of the spleen. The dose of the chemotherapeutic agent was the same in milligrams per kilogram as that used in the cancer clinic. A method for determining the recovery time following the use of one or more agents was  developed with the repeated use of the spleen model. By extending the methods used with the spleen it was found that similar use could be made, usually without surgery, of the liver, gut, and lungs (and probably the kidney and brain).
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001379:Azathioprine / Q000494:pharmacology; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000494:pharmacology; D004285:Dogs; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000494:pharmacology; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000528:radiation effects; D008466:Mechlorethamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000494:pharmacology; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000276:immunology; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000494:pharmacology; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011830:Radiation Effects; D013154:Spleen / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D013852:Thiotepa / Q000494:pharmacology; D013997:Time Factors; D014747:Vinblastine / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D008466:Mechlorethamine; D014747:Vinblastine; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D013852:Thiotepa; D011239:Prednisolone; D001379:Azathioprine; D005472:Fluorouracil; D008727:Methotrexate