Medicine: Gall-Bladders

Almost every one knows that it is possible to introduce bismuth into the stomach and then, by use of the Xray, to obtain a photograph of the stomach’s outlines. The method has become invaluable for the diagnosis of such conditions as ulcers of the stomach-wall. It has long been felt that valuable information could be had regarding the gall-bladder if some method could be found of introducing a substance into the gall-bladder which would make possible the photographing of its outline. Drs. Warren H. Cole and Evarts A. Graham of the Washington University Medical School (St. Louis) have succeeded in finding a substance which can be satisfactorily introduced into the gall-bladder and which permits X-ray photography of the organ later. The chemical name of the substance is calcium tetrabromphenolphthalein. The drug is injected into a vein. Three hours after the injection it begins to appear in the bile which collects in the gallbladder. Strangely enough, better photographs have been obtained from normal gallbladders than from those which are diseased, but this in itself serves as a means of diagnosis.