In the eyes and the skin of the paws of rats, inflammation was induced with irritants which, according to our previous experiments, exert their effect by the neurogenic route (Jancs6, 1960; Jancs6 et al., 1967). Solutions of capsaicin (50 jug/ml.), w-chloroacetophenone (1 mg/ml.) or a saturated aqueous solution of mustard oil were instilled into the eye. The skin of the paw was painted with xylene or 5% mustard oil in liquid paraffin. The inflammatory reaction was made visible by injecting, before the irritants, Evans blue dye 50 mg/kg into the tail vein. Ten minutes after the application of the irritant the animals were killed by bleeding and the amount of dye in the conjunctivae or skin of the paws was determined quantitatively by the suramin extraction method (Jancs6-Gabor, Szolcsdnyi & Jancs6, 1967).

In experiments with local anaesthetics, Cornecain (3%) or Psicain-Neu (1%) were instilled two or three times intothe conjunctival sac. Five minutes later the corneal reflex couldno longer be elicited. Evans bluewas then injected intravenously and the local anaesthetics applied once again. The local anaesthetic by itself did not cause any appreciable exudation of the dye. Five minutes later the irritant was instilled. After this instillation the animal was held firmly so that it could not scratch or wipe itseyes. To reduce the possibility that the irritant was rinsed out with the tears, the instillation of the irritant was repeated.