How Are Your Supra-Renals?

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 550, 31 December 1928, Page 12

How Are Your Supra-Renals?

POWDER FOR SLOW HORSES

THE RABBIT AND THE LION

Stating that he is the possessor of a secret preparation which will increase the speed of roguish, lazy, or nervous horses who don’t do their best in a race, an American citizen, F. Howard Chadwick, a veterinary surgeon in his own country, has dreams of making a fortune in Australia. Mr. Chadwick arrived in Sydney recently from America, bringing the thoroughbred sire Ben Nevis, who was imported by well-known polo players. His preparation, he swears, is not a dope. He also swears that it cannot be detected by chemically analysing the saliva or blood of the horse on which it is used. According to Mr. Chadwick, nearly all roguishness, laziness and nervousness is traceable to two tiny glands

situated above the kidneys. These are known as the supra-renals, and they secrete adrenalin into the blood stream. The Fighting Spirit This adrenalin is the “fighting spirit” of the universe, according to Mr. Chadwick. If the supra-renals secrete it in sufficient quantity the person or animal concerned is “game.” If they do not he is a “squib.” Adrenalin is much used as a drug, but. as one of its properties is that a clotting blood, it cannot be used as a dope in the ordinary way by hypodermic injection. So the rather ingenious method of doping, not the horse, but his suprerenal glands was struck upon. Prolonged Treatment

The treatment extends over about 10 days, and none of the mystery powders are given to the horse on the day of the race. They are really a species of tonic, according to Mr. Chadwick. The supra-renals are built up, and they secrete the adrenalin in the right quantities at the right time. Thus a speedy horse, who without the treatment would usually quit when tackled by another horse, will fill his blood stream with the “fighting spirit” (adrenalin), and battle out the finish instead.

The highly adrenalined human is the fighter, says Mr. Chadwick, and,

among the animals, he points to the lion and bulldog as highly adrenalined, while the gentle fawn and rabbit do not secrete much adrenalin. The Windbags and Man o’ Wars of the turf who win their races by sheer grit, often beating speedier but less determined opponents, are the highly adrenalined horses. Mr. Chadwick doesn’t say that he can make a rabbit fight a lion by feeding it on his powders, but that is about all he doesn’t.