Pregnant mice, rats, and rabbits were treated orally with ergotamine during midgestation. In doses that affected maternal weight gain during treatment, ergotamine produced an increase in prenatal mortality in rats and evidence of fetal retardation in all three species. The results are discussed in connection with the vasoconstrictive action of ergotamine. A uterotonic effect may also be involved in the mechanism of action. No specific teratogenic activity was detected in any of the three species.

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642chronic arthritis.5 The virus divides preferentially in rapidly dividing cells particularly erythroid precursors, but by the time the rash appears, viraemia is no longer detectable. This suggests that the neuralgic amyotrophy seen in this patient is due to an idiosyncratic immune response.We recommend serological testing for parvovirus IgM in cases of neuralgic amyotrophy to ascertain the relative causal contribution to this painful and disabling condition. DAVID

The teratogenic effects on the offspring of ferrets given single sc injections of mustine hydrochloride on various days of gestation is described and compared with a smaller series of rats treated at similar stages of embryonic development. Distinct qualitative differences in the teratogenic responses of the 2 species were demonstrated. The predominant defects in ferrets were anophthalmia produced during early gastrulation, and tail abnormalities produced at the head‐process stage; whereas in rats the major deformities were limb defects and cleft palate and these resulted from treatment at the stage of the paddleshaped forelimb. The advantages of the ferret as an additional species for teratogenicity studies is discussed and methods of providing a continuously breeding colony required for such studies are described.

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