INTRODUCTION
The natural sequence of events following the introduction of any new therapeutic agent or method has plotted a similar course throughout the history of medicine. Characteristic of medicine today is its insistence on rationalization, but equally important for advancement is the empirical trial of drugs and methods in conditions other than the ones for which they were originally intended. The widespread use of fever therapy, the treatment of lobar pneumonia with pneumothorax and the administration of the arsenical preparations in conditions other than syphilis are but a few examples of this tendency.It is therefore not surprising that the introduction of a drug so spectacular in its specific effect as is insulin should occasion its trial in many conditions other than diabetes mellitus, for which it had been sought for years.The present knowledge regarding its physiologic activity has been derived largely from two main sources. These two sources