Effect of oral hexamethonium salts on gastric secretion.

Hexamethylenebistrimethylammonium (hexamethonium) iodide (C6) has been shown by Paton and Zaimis (1949) to exert a blocking effect at the synapses of autonomic ganglia. In a previous paper (Kay and Smith, 1950) we have shown that this compound, when given intramuscularly, inhibits the gastric secretion and motility. In the present paper we give the results obtained with the same drug administered by mouth, and also compare the effects of the other halides. In the first series of experiments we have observed the effect of a single dose of the iodide salt on the gastric secretion; in the second, the effect of repeated administration; and in the third, the comparative effects of equivalent doses of the iodide, bromide, and chloride.