[Effect of weak doses of ethyl alcohol on the resistance of the frog sartorius to injurious concentrations of that substance].

A study was made of the effect of preliminary maintenance of m. sartorius of the grass frog in 0.87 M and 1.09 M ethyl alcohol on their resistance to 3.48 M ethyl alcohol. The maintenance of muscle tissue in 0.87 M and 1.09 M ethyl alcohol for periods, ranging from 15 min. to 2 hours, in different series of experiments led to the increase in its resistance to 3.48 M alcohol by 11--24% as compared with the initial one. The value of increase in resistance depended on the concentration of the agent studied, the duration of maintenance, and of the season. A study of non-specificity of the adaptive effect of low alcohol decreased their resistance to 0.12 M NaF by 33.3% (P less than 0.05) The same concentration of ethyl alcohol applied for periods from 15 mintes to 2 hours either caused no change or decreased significantly the resistance of muscle tissue to the temperature 36 degrees C. This effect of decrease in resistance was even more significant when the resistance to 38 degrees C was challenged. The range of individual variability of resistance of muscles to 3.48 M alcohol and 36 degrees showns that its values in the control and in the experiment are similar.