84 P-AMINOBENZOIC ACID 



men and women hospitalized for various chronic diseases common to old 

 age. Seven received 100 mg. of calcium pantothenate, 200 mg. of PABA 

 and 50 g. of brewer's yeast daily, five received yeast and PABA, and seven 

 received yeast and calcium pantothenate. The treatment was continued for 

 eight months. Significant improvement was observed in only two in- 

 dividuals, l)oth of whom were men receiving the comlnnation calcium 

 pantothenate, PABA, and yeast. Only questionable improvement occurred 

 in those patients receiving one or the other compound along with the 

 yeast. 



Eller and Diaz*^^ administered PABA to 88 persons of different ages and 

 both sexes in various stages of achromotrichia. Tablets of 100 mg. were 

 given three or four times daily over periods ranging from three to five 

 months. A few of the patients showed definite changes in the color of their 

 hair. 



Visual darkening of the hair was reported by DeVilbiss^^ in all of 16 

 patients treated with PABA at a recommended dose of 100 mg. four times 

 daily. Photos taken before and after treatment, in color as well as in 

 black and white, supported the patients' own opinion that PABA is of 

 value in the treatment of premature graying. 



Friedgood''^ observed a few cases of human achromotrichia that appeared 

 to respond to PABA, but he was inclined to minimize the extravagant 

 claims of Sieve.^- 



D. THYROTOXICOSIS 



PABA has been used clinically with some success as an antithyroid 

 compound by a number of investigators. Berman''^ claimed good results in 

 the treatment of six cases of hyperthyroidism with parenteral PABA. 

 Papp^^ gave PABA by mouth with success in four patients with hyper- 

 thyroidism. Williams"^ was not enthusiastic about the use of PABi\. in 

 thyrotoxicosis, since he was able to reduce the basal metabolic rate in only 

 two out of eight patients by use of PABA. 3,5-Diiodo-p-aminobenzoic 

 acid showed some promise in his series, presumably because of the affinity 

 of the thyroid for iodine. Goodwin et alJ^ treated ten thyrotoxic patients 

 with PABA and obtained full control in only one, and six did not respond 

 at all. Thej'^ conclude that PABA has a slight but definite antithyroid action 

 in safe dosage but that, to obtain an action comparable to that of the 



6^ J. J. Eller and L. A. Diaz, N. Y. State J. Med. 43, 1331 (1943). 



66 L. A. DeVilbiss, Med. Woinan's J. 49, 341 (1942). 



«6 H. B. Friedgood, New Engl. J. Med. 227, 788 (1942). 



" L. Berman, Proc. Soc. Exptl. Biol. Med. 59, 70 (1945). 



«» A. Papp, Marquette Med. Rev. 13, 23 (1947). 



«9 R. H. Williams, /irch. Internal Med. 80, 11 (1947). 



^0 J. F. Goodwin, H. Miller, and E. J. Wayne, Lancet 257, 1211 (1949). 



