72 



Journal of Agricultural Research 



Vol. XX, No. i 



Table II. — Results of experiments with echinacea in the treatment of botulism 



SUMMARY OF EXPERIMENTS WITH BOTULISM 



Fluid extract echinacea was administered per os to guinea pigs for a 

 total of six protective doses. The animals were then fed botulinus toxin. 

 The treatment with echinacea was continued as long as the animals were 

 able to swallow. All the experimental animals developed positive 

 symptoms of botulism and died within three days after ingesting the 

 toxin. From this it does not appear that echinacea, possesses remedial 

 value against botulism. 



III. — TESTS OF ECHINACEA AS A REMEDY FOR SEPTICEMIA 



Twelve guinea pigs were used in testing the remedial value of 

 echinacea in septicemia. The pathogenic material was a 48-hour-old 

 glycerin-agar culture of Bacillus bovisepticus of only moderate virulence 

 for laboratory animals. A faintly cloudy suspension of the organisms 

 in sterile normal salt solution was prepared and used for inoculation. 

 While no attempt was made to determine the minimal lethal dose of 

 this organism for guinea pigs, a few preliminary tests undertaken indi- 

 cated that the dose employed in the following experiments was not 

 excessive. 



EXPERIMENT I. — ECHINACEA ADMINISTERED PER OS (PROTECTIVE) 



In order to determine whether the administration of echinacea would 

 increase the resistance of the organism to septicemia if given sufficient 

 time to develop immunity, two guinea pigs were given four daily doses 

 of 3 mils of a mixture of 1 mil of "Specific Medicine Echinacea" and 2 mils 

 of distilled water. The total protective dose was 4 mils, all administered 

 per os. The animals were then allowed to rest for 1 1 days, when they 

 were injected subcutaneously with 0.5 mil Bacillus bovisepticus suspen- 

 sion. Both animals became sick; one died in three days and the other 

 in five days. Two of the controls died in three days and the third 

 control survived. The autopsy showed septicemia. 



