Oct. i, 1920 



An Experimental Study of Echinacea Therapy 



75 



EXPERIMENT 2. — CONTROLS 



Two controls were chosen at the beginning of experiment 1 of this 

 series and were kept under observation for 8 days, when they were 

 injected subcutaneously with 0.4 mil of the anthrax material at the same 

 time as the experimental animals. Both controls became sick, and one 

 died in 4 and the other in 8 days, having survived the experimental 

 guinea pigs by 1 and 5 days, respectively. The autopsy showed typical 

 anthrax. 



Table IV summarizes the results of the experiments for anthrax. 



Table IV. — Results of experiments with echinacea in the treatment of anthrax 



SUMMARY OF EXPERIMENTS WITH ANTHRAX 



Experimental animals were given protective and remedial doses of 

 fluid extract echinacea and were inoculated with Bacillus anthracis. All 

 the animals died, those which were treated dying before the control 

 animals. Echinacea does not appear to be of value as a remedy for 

 anthrax. 



V. — TESTS OF ECHINACEA AS A REMEDY AGAINST RATTLESNAKE VENIN 



Twenty-five guinea pigs were used in the experiments with rattlesnake 

 venin. The venin was furnished by Dr. Park Findley, of Des Moines, 

 Iowa, who had obtained it while with the United States Army on the 

 Mexican border. The venomous secretion of the rattlesnake was collected 

 and dried by inspissation in the sun. This treatment, of course, some- 

 what attenuated the venin. The product occurred in brittle, clear, 

 yellowish granules, much resembling dried egg albumen. The minimal 

 lethal dose was determined as 2 mgm. for a 400- to 450-gm. guinea pig. 

 The venin was hemolytic in a dilution of 1 to 1 ,000 against washed sheep 

 corpuscles. For injection, a quantity of the venin was carefully weighed 

 out and dissolved in sufficient sterile normal salt solution to furnish a 

 liquid which would contain 2 mgm. per mil. 



EXPERIMENT I. — ECHINACEA ADMINISTERED PER OS 



Each of three guinea pigs received daily 3 mils of a mixture of 1 mil 

 "Specific Medicine Echinacea" and 2 mils water for two doses, a total of 

 2 mils echinacea, as protective treatment. On the third day the animals 

 were given 2 mgm. of rattlesnake venin in 1 mil of salt solution injected 



