246 BURMA, ITS PEOPLE AXD PRODUCTIONS. 



' The result was so satisfactory, that I have continued to employ the remedy whenever a case 

 presented itself; and I have now given it in IC diiierent cases, and in all without a failure. As 

 far as mv experience goes, I have f oimd it a better and more certain remedy than cither turpentine 

 or koussb, and much less disagreeable to take than either of these remedies. 



' In none of my cases subsequent to the first, did I ever exceed for a single dose 3 drachms. This 

 usually purges from five to seven times, and the worm is iisuaUy expelled dead in the fourth or 



fifth stool. , , . , 



' In two of the latter cases in which I administered it in Hospital, both patients recently 

 recovered from fever, and still weak, the dose of 3 drachms purged very violently - from a dozen 

 to 14 times. In three subsequent cases I reduced the dose to H drachms, and no action on the 

 bowels succeeding it, I gave in six hours afterwards half an oimce of castor- oil. This acted four 



or five times, and in each case the worm was passed dead 



' In almost every case the long slender neck of the worm appeared in the motion. 

 ' To a native child of five years of age, I gave a dose of 40 grains, and a tapeworm was duly 

 expelled. The drug usually purges speedily. In about half the cases, some degree of nausea 

 and slight griping "were experienced; in the remaining half, no inconvenience whatever was 

 sustained, some o"f the patients declaring it to be the easiest purge they had ever taken in 

 their lives ' 



" Dr. Mackinnon gives the following summary as the result of his experience : 



1. That EamaU is a safe and efficient remedy for tapeworm, and more certain than either 

 turpentine or kousso. 



2. That to a strong European 3 drachms may be safely given as a dose. 



3. That to a person of feeble habit or to a female, Ij drachms, followed, if necessary, by half 

 an ounce of castor-oU, is a sufficient dose. 



" Since the paper fi-om which the foregoing are extracts, was published. Dr. 

 Mackinnon has stated that in subsequent more extensive trials of Kamala, duiing 

 which ho has administered it to nearly 50 patients, in two instances only was no 

 worm expelled. 



" Dr. Anderson, Assistant Surgeon, 43rd Kegt. Light Infantry, states that the 

 occurrence of tapeworm is very common among the Europeans serving in the Punjab, 

 and that it is also prevalent among the Mussulman population of that province. 

 " ' The vermifuge properties of Kamala,' writes Dr. Anderson, 



' are as well marked as those of any of the best reputed anthelmintics, not excepting the 

 Abyssinian remedy Kousso. The only' objection to it is, that when the powder is used, con- 

 siderable nausea occasionally foUows," but' certainly not more than what is produced by the 

 sickening preparation of pomegranate root and other anthelmintics. 



' After three drachms of the powder have been administered, the worm is usually expelled 

 in the third or fourth stool. It is generally passed entire, and almost always dead, and in all the 

 cases I have examined (about 15), I was able to detect the head. In only two cases do I know 

 of the worm being passed alive. The advantage of the tincture over the powder consists in its 

 action being more certain and milder, and in its being rarely accompanied by nausea and griping. 

 In two or three cases, only two or three stools followed tlie dose usually given, and the worm 

 was expelled in the second stool ; in one patient, only one stool was caused by the medicine, 

 and in it, the wonn came away dead.' 



"Dr. Anderson alludes to 95 cases of tapeworm in which Kamala was prescribed, 

 and of this number he was aware of only two in which no worm was expelled. Of 

 these 95 cases, 86 were Eiu'opean soldiers, 8 were Mussulman natives, and one was 

 a Hindu of the lowest class. All these persons were in the habit of indulging freely 

 and constantly in animal food, and among this class tapeworm is common ; those, on 

 the other hand, whose animal diet is less copious are less liable to taenia, while among 

 several native regiments, Hindu Sepoys and servants, says Dr. Anderson, whose food 

 is entirely vegetable, the parasite is unknown. 



"Dr. C. A. Gordon's experience of the efficacy of Kamala corresponds entirely 

 with that of Drs. Mackinnon and Anderson. He observes, 



' 'With Kamala there is no impleasant effect. It is not even necessary to take a dose of 

 purging medicine as a preparative ; and beyond a trifling amount of nausea and griping in some 

 instances, no unpleasant eft'ects are experienced; while by far the greats number of persons 

 to whom it is administered suffer no inconvenience whatever beyond what they would from a dose 

 of ordinary purging medicine.' 



" The observations of Dr. Gordon relative to the occurrence of trenia are con- 

 firmatory of those of Dr. Anderson, and are to the effect that the free use of animal 

 food of very indifferent quality among the British troops in the N."W. Provinces, 

 must be regarded as the cause of the prevalence of the malady. In the case of soldiers 



