NITRITES IN SPASMODIC CONDITIONS OF GASTRO-INTESTINAL TRACT

Drugs that act as antispasmodics on the gastrointestinal tract occupy an important place both in the diagnosis and in the treatment of certain conditions of the stomach and intestine. Atropine has been generally accepted as a satisfactory antispasmodic. However, in the review of the literature one finds, in the experimental studies, conflicting conclusions as to its effect on the motility and tone of the stomach. In the clinical observations most men agree that it is quite effectual in the treatment of spasmodic conditions of the stomach and, to a lesser degree, of the intestine. In its use as a diagnostic measure in roentgen examinations, to differentiate spasm from organic lesions, there is considerable difference of opinion. Reizenstein and Frei¹ state that they have never found a positive effect of atropine in the relaxation of spasm of the gastrointestinal tract but, on the contrary, have observed an increase of spasm