THE INTRACUTANEOUS SALT SOLUTION TEST: ITS USE AS A TEST OF THE EFFICIENCY OF THE CIRCULATION IN THE EXTREMITIES

In May, 1925, one of us¹ reported that the intracutaneous salt solution test, as devised by McClure and Aldrich² for the study of edema, afforded a simple method of determining the efficiency of the circulation in the extremities. The present report deals more fully with the nature of this reaction and with its clinical applications.

NATURE OF TEST AND MECHANISM OF ACTION  When 0.2 cc. of an 0.85 per cent salt solution is injected into the skin of a normal individual, sixty minutes or more is required for its complete absorption. In cases showing edema, the disappearance time is decreased in direct ratio to the degree of edema, and in extreme cases the injected fluid disappears so rapidly that it is impossible to produce a wheal. These observations hold true for all edema, whether it is of the so-called renal or cardiac types.Aldrich³ discusses the mechanism