The Finkleman Preparation

A computer simulation of the Finkleman preparation to teach undergraduate pharmacology students.

This program simulates a number of experiments which may be performed on isolated segments of rabbit jejunum, as described by Finkleman in 1930, to demonstrate the effects of adrenergic drugs and sympathetic nerve stimulation. Rhythmical, pendular contractions of the intestine may be recorded and the preparation may be used to investigate:

• the effects of electrical stimulation of sympathetic nerves, on motility;
• the effects of adrenergic drugs on spontaneous movements, inherent tone and sympathetically evoked relaxations.

Introduction and Methods sections combine text and high-resolution graphics to describe the preparation, the apparatus and to provide the background pharmacology.

In the Experiments section simulated rhythmic contractions, derived from experimental data, are presented on a chart-recorder-like display on the monitor. The user is able to select, from a menu, to investigate:

• a range of adrenergic drugs, either alone or in certain pre-determined combinations (noradrenaline, isoprenaline, phenylephrine, tyramine, guanethidine, imipramine, alpha- and beta-adrenoceptor blockers);
• the effects of electrically stimulating sympathetic nerves at a range of frequencies (supramaximal stimulus voltage; 1-50Hz) or
• the effects of a range of drugs (guanethidine, imipramine, local anaesthetic, tetrodotoxin, alpha- and beta-adrenoceptor blocking drugs) on the response to sympathetic nerve stimulation (supra maximal stimulus voltage, 50 Hz).

The drugs, drug combinations and electrical stimulation protocols have been selected to demonstrate the essential pharmacology of the preparation.