DRUGS, NEW. 



271 



ing, although the regular supplies had been 

 issued to them, and in some cases seized the 

 Government stores. They were finally paci- 

 fied and forced to return to the reservations 

 without the firing of a single shot. 



DRUGS, NEW. Antipyrine. This is a new alka- 

 loid, one of the chinoline derivatives, which 

 has been extensively used during the past year 

 as an antipyretic. It possesses the valuable 

 property of reducing temperature without pro- 

 ducing any unpleasant effects upon the system. 

 The drug occurs in the form of prismatic crys- 

 tals, which are quite soluble in water and alco- 

 hol. It is generally administered in divided 

 doses up to one or two drachms. A single 

 dose of fifteen grains causes a fall of tempera- 

 ture of at least three degrees (centigrade), 

 which begins an hour after the administration 

 of the drug, and continues four or five hours. 

 After several doses have been given, the action 

 of the drug may continue for forty-eight hours. 

 As the temperature falls, the frequency of the 

 pulse also diminishes, and there is a profuse 

 perspiration. Antipyrine is recommended in all 

 diseases attended with fever, especially in pneu- 

 monia, typhoid, acute rheumatism, erysipelas, 

 and phthisis. The effects of the drug may be 

 obtained more promptly if it is introduced into 

 the system by hypodermic injection. It is not 

 probable that this remedy will supplant quinine 

 in the treatment of intermittent fever, although 

 the two drugs are perfectly analogous in their 

 mode of action. Antipyrine requires to be 

 given in much larger doses than quinine, but 

 it is much cheaper. 



Hydrochlorate of Cocaine, Cocaine is an alka- 

 loid extracted from the leaves of Erythroxylon 

 coca, a shrub that resembles the tea-plant, and 

 grows wild in South America. The alkaloid 

 occurs in the form of colorless, transparent 

 prisms, without odor, and bitter. The peculiar 

 virtues of coca as a nerve- stimulant have long 

 been known, not only to the medical profession, 

 but to the Peruvian natives, who are enabled to 

 support prolonged fatigue by simply chewing 

 the leaves. A young German physician has re- 

 cently called attention to the fact (previously 

 known to physiologists) that a soluble combina- 

 tion of cocaine with hydrochloric acid possesses 

 remarkable properties as a local anaesthetic. 

 Noticing that when a strong solution of cocaine 

 hydrochlorate was applied to the tip of the 

 tongue, that portion of the organ was tempo- 

 rarily benumbed, he was led to try its effects 

 upon the eye. The result was the same. The 

 practical application of this fact is, that if a 

 few drops of the solution be introduced into 

 the eye, the delicate nerves of sensation are 

 paralyzed, so that the most painful operations 

 may be performed without discomfort to the 

 patient. The remedy has already been widely 

 employed by ophthalmic surgeons, with brilliant 

 results. Nor has its use been confined to the 

 eye. "When applied locally to the interior of 

 the larynx, to the ear (in severe neuralgia), 

 and to other delicate membranes, its effect is 



the same ; pain and irritability are relieved, and 

 the surgeon is enabled to accomplish his pur- 

 pose without causing any suffering in cases 

 where general anaesthesia is not desirable. The 

 drug is quite safe, and its application simple. 

 Four or five drops of a four-per-cent. solution 

 are instilled into the eye at short intervals, 

 twenty minutes before operation. The effect 

 is experienced within five minutes after its 

 introduction, and lasts for half an hour. The 

 principal drawbacks to its frequent use are its 

 expense, and the difficulty of obtaining pure 

 preparations. Very recently the use of this 

 drug has been greatly extended, so that now it 

 has been employed not only to dull the sensi- 

 bility of the nose and larnyx during examina- 

 tions and operations, but it has even been em- 

 ployed as a local anaesthetic in abdominal sur- 

 gery. From the evidence now before us, it 

 seems as if cocaine were to be an efficient agent 

 even in severe surgical operations, in cases 

 where there are special contraindications to 

 the use of chloroform and ether. 



Jequirity. This remedy, recently introduced 

 into ophthalmic practice, has aroused an un- 

 usual amount of interest. The Jequirity is a 

 woody, twining plant, growing in Brazil, though 

 it is also indigenous in India and Africa ; the 

 seeds, which occur in pods, are about the size 

 of peas. An infusion of the seeds, when in- 

 stilled into the eye, excites inflammation, ap- 

 parently of a specific character. When this 

 subsides, it is found that old inflammatory de- 

 posits on the cornea and conjunctiva have been 

 absorbed. Marvelous results have been re- 

 ported from the use of this drug in the case of 

 patients whose vision, apparently permanently 

 impaired, was perfectly restored. The active 

 principle of Jequirity is a micro-organism which 

 is removed by boiling or filtering, the infusion 

 then being deprived of its inflammatory action. 

 Numerous experiments have demonstrated that 

 the infusion may be used without danger to the 

 delicate structure of the eye. It has also been 

 employed with success in the treatment of puru- 

 lent discharge from the ear. " The reception 

 of Jequirity by the medical world," says a re- 

 cent writer on therapeutics, "is something un- 

 precedented in the introduction of new drugs." 



Katrine. Kairine is another antipyretic, which 

 has been highly praised, especially in the treat- 

 ment of typhoid fever. It appears to be some- 

 what untrustworthy in its action, and its effects 

 are brief. Contradictory statements are made 

 as to its value as an antiperiodic ; it is certainly 

 much inferior to quinine. 



Lemon- Juice as an Antipyretic. This simple 

 remedy has attracted much attention in coun- 

 tries in which malaria flourishes. It was in- 

 troduced by an Italian physician, and was thor- 

 oughly tried by Prof. Tommasi-Crudeli, an 

 authority on intermittent fever, who reported 

 most favorably as to its efficacy. As lemons 

 have been used for many years in fevers, with- 

 out their antipyretic effects having been no- 

 ticed, there must be some special virtue in the 



