68 Journal of Agricultural Research voi.xx,No.i 



lethal dose was 0.0007 mgm. for a 350-gm. guinea pig. The material 

 was preserved in vacuo in the dark and at low temperature. A fresh 

 solution of the toxin was prepared for use by carefully weighing out a 

 small quantity and dissolving this in just enough sterile normal salt 

 solution to furnish a liquid which should contain 6 minimal lethal doses 

 per mil. Each of the experimental animals received 0.5 mil of this 

 solution, an equivalent of 3 minimal lethal doses. 



EXPERIMENT I. — ECHINACEA ADMINISTERED PER OS 



Four guinea pigs were each given a 3-mil dose of a mixture of 1 mil of 

 the "Specific Medicine Echinacea" and 2 mils of distilled water once a 

 day for six days, a total of 6 mils of the remedy. The animals were 

 rested one day and on the eighth day were given another dose of the 

 remedial mixture, immediately followed by a subcutaneous injection of 

 0.5 mil of tetanus toxin solution (3 minimal lethal doses). On the fol- 

 lowing day all the animals received a dose of the remedy, so that each 

 guinea pig had then received a total of 8 mils of specific echinacea, 

 equivalent to somewhat more than 8 gm. of the root. 



All of the animals exhibited the typical symptoms of tetanus and died 

 on the ninth day. The autopsies were negative; no evidence of any 

 ntercurrent disease was obtained. Three control guinea pigs which 

 were injected at the same time as the experimental animals died on the 

 same day with symptoms of tetanus and furnished the same post-mortem 



EXPERIMENT 2. — ECHINACEA INJECTED INTRAMUSCULARLY 



Echinacea injected intramuscularly was tested upon five guinea pigs. 

 The undiluted "Specific Medicine Echinacea" was injected into the 

 right and left thighs on alternate days. Each animal received four 0.5- 

 mil doses, one per day, a total of 2 mils. The treatment caused consider- 

 able swelling at the points of injection. On the fourth day the animals 

 were all given subcutaneous injections of 0.5 mil of the tetanus toxin 

 solution. They all exhibited the characteristic symptoms of tetanus 

 and died early in the morning of the third day after the injection. The 

 autopsy showed considerable local reaction of the tissues to the injection 

 of the echinacea. This consisted of a sero-sanguineous infiltration of 

 the subcutaneous and muscular tissues with small areas of degeneration 

 in the musculature at the point of injection. The internal organs 

 showed no gross lesions. 



EXPERIMENT 3. — ECHINACEA AND TOXIN ADMINISTERED SIMULTANEOUSLY 



In order to determine whether echinacea possesses properties similar 

 to the antitoxins, five guinea pigs were injected subcutaneously with 0.5 

 mil of the tetanus toxin solution and immediately received 0.5 mil of 

 undiluted "Specific Medicine Echinacea" injected intramuscularly into 



