ORAL PENICILLIN--A COMPARISON OF VARIOUS MODES OF ADMINISTRATION.

A comparison of penicillin excretion when equivalent quantities of the drug are given orally or parenterally indicates that approximately 60 per cent. urinary excretion occurs after parenteral administration, whereas 14 per cent. urinary excretion occurs following oral ingestion. That destruction by gastric acidity is not primarily responsible for this difference is indicated by the fact that administration of penicillin directly into the duodenum does not greatly alter the amount of penicillin excretion. Evidence indicating that the majority of orally administered penicillin is destroyed by the body proper is discussed.