Oct. i, i 9 io An Experimental Study of Echinacea Therapy 71 



II. — TESTS OF ECHINACEA AS A REMEDY FOR BOTULISM 



Since echinacea did not appear to influence the action of tetanus toxin, 

 it was thought desirable to compare its action against another bacterial 

 toxin. For this purpose botulinus toxin was chosen. The material used 

 to produce botulism in the experimental animals consisted of a germ- 

 free filtrate of a glucose beef infusion culture of Bacillus botulinus (Boise 

 strain) (17) incubated for one month at 37 C. The filtrate was diluted 

 with sterile normal salt solution in such amount that 1 mil was equivalent 

 to very nearly 10 minimal lethal doses for a 400-gm. guinea pig. This 

 toxin was not injected into the animals but was fed through the mouth 

 in order to duplicate the conditions under which this type of poisoning 

 usually occurs. 



EXPERIMENT I. — ECHINACEA ADMINISTERED PER OS 



Three guinea pigs only were used, because the results of the experiment 

 were so free from uncertainty that it was not considered necessary to 

 sacrifice more animals in order to determine the facts. The animals 

 were all given 2 -mil doses daily of a mixture of 0.5 mil fluid extract 

 echinacea and 1.5 mils distilled water for 6 days. The total protective 

 dosage was 3 mils of the fluid extract, equivalent to 3 gm of echinacea. 

 The animals were rested one day, and on the eighth day after the begin- 

 ning of the experiment all received 1 mil (10 minimal lethal doses) of 

 botulinus toxin immediately after receiving a 2-mil dose of the remedial 

 mixture. On the following day all the animals were sick. No. 78 

 received a remedial dose of 2 mils of the echinacea mixture. No. 79 

 received 1 mil of the same mixture, which was all that it could swallow. 

 With No. 80 the symptoms of pharyngeal paralysis were so marked that 

 it was considered inadvisable to drench the animal on account of the 

 danger of strangulation. This animal died during the afternoon. The 

 remaining two were found dead in the morning of the second day after. 

 The treated pigs and the controls showed no differences. The autopsy 

 showed general hyperemia of the internal organs; there was no evidence 

 of any intercurrent disease. 



EXPERIMENT 2. — CONTROLS 



Two guinea pigs were used as controls. These animals were fed a 1 -mil 

 dose of botulinus toxin (10 minimal lethal doses) on the same date as the 

 experimental pigs. In about 18 hours both animals showed symptoms 

 of botulism; one died in 23 hours after the dose; the other was found 

 dead in the morning of the third day after the dose. The post-mortem 

 findings were similar to those for the experimental animals. The results 

 are summarized in Table II. 



