Various tests of hepatic function have been used in an attempt to evaluate the extent of damage of diseased livers, to determine prognosis in hepatic disorders and to aid in differential diagnosis.1 No single test has yet been found which is entirely without defect.
The dextrose tolerance test has been used by some investigators as an aid in the differential diagnosis of jaundice and by others as an index of the degree of hepatic damage. Jacobi2 reported on the results of oral dextrose tolerance tests in 25 patients with acute hepatitis, in 14 of whom the disorder was due to catarrhal icterus. In all these patients either a flat curve or a curve showing an early high rise with a fall to normal in two hours was obtained. Jacobi advised against surgical intervention when either type of curve was found. Shay and Fieman3 obtained somewhat similar results