Bio-assay evidence of abnormal secretin-like and gastrin-like activity in tumour and blood in cases of `choleraic diarrhoea

Methods for bio-assay of secretin-like humoral agents in both cat and dog are described. Bio-assay of tumour extracts and of plasma from patients with the pancreatic choleraic syndrome are described. The first patient was found to have choleretic and secretinlike activity in an extract of her pancreatic islet cell tumour and gastrin-like activity in her plasma. The second patient was found to have both secretin and gastrin-like activity in her plasma, as well as choleretic activity. It is concluded that at least part of the profuse, watery electrolyte diarrhoea of the `pancreatic cholera' syndrome associated with peptide-secreting adenoma of the pancreas is likely to be a reflection of the excessive production of secretin, as well as of gastrin, and possibly also of a choleretic agent.