Studies in Stress Glycosuria: I. Prolonged Glycosuria in Chinese Hamsters after Repeated Stress

Chinese hamsters, unfamiliar to each other, were briefly placed together daily for several weeks. This resulted in fighting and stress. The stress groups were arranged in such a way that no animal met the same animal within any five-day period. A gradual increase in the incidence of positive urine glucose occurred in the experimental animals but not in the nonfighting controls. Glycosuria continued for two to twelve weeks following the termination of the prolonged regimen of daily repeated stress periods. These findings are an extension and amplification of those reported by Cannon and his group. The results may have significance in exploring the relationship of emotional stress to diabetes mellitus.