Unlike most drugs the half-life of salicylates in the serum of human subjects increases as its concentration increases: this observation was confirmed in nine hospitalized patients with rheumatoid arthritis who received the same weightadjusted dose of aspirin. They showed marked variations in the maximum salicylate concentrations attained. A relatively small increase in dose resulted in a large increase in serum level. Therefore, optimum intensive salicylate therapy can be achieved only by individualizing the dose of aspirin.

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sor effect lasts about 5 hours (range = 2 to 24 hours). In animals,5 and in man6-8 diazoxide may cause salt and water retention that can be eliminated by the addition of a diuretic benzothiadiazine. Materials and MethodsAll patients studied were from the Moore Clinic of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore. Observations were made on 14 Negro subjects who were divided into three groups. The first group was composed of five hypertensive patients with an average age of 48 years, and an average mean arterial blood pressure of 132 mm. Hg. There were three women and two men. The second group was composed of five normotensive subjects with an average age of 46 years and an average mean arterial pressure of 110 mm. Hg. There were two women and three men. The third group contained four hypertensive patients whose average age was 41 years and average mean arterial pressure 131 mm. Hg. The groups did not differ in average body surface area or hypertensive classification (except the normotensive subjects).9 None of the 14 patients had received hypotensive drugs for the preceding 2 weeks.On the day of the acute study, each patient was in a fasting state. No sedative was given. Measurements of right atrial pressure, systemic arterial pressure, cardiac output, and heart rate were made with the patient in the supine position. A small catheter was introduced through the basilic vein and advanced until its tip was lying free within the right atrium. A Cournand needle was placed in a brachial artery. Pressures were recorded from the right atrium and brachial artery with Statham strain gages. Mean pressures were obtained by electrical integration. Pressure recordings were made immediately before cardiac output determinations. The catheter in the right atrium was filled with indocyanine green dye connected through a three-way stopcock to a dye reservoir and injection system. The needle in the brachial artery was connected through a short, small-bore, polyethylene tubing to the euvette of a Gilford densitometer. Dye solutions were made up before the study and a small amount of blood was added so that the dye in the injectate would be bound to plasma. Approximately 2.8 mg. of dye were used for each injection.