ACTION AND USES OF QUININE 465 



is employed in many acute diseases, such as influenza, 

 bronchitis and pneumonia of horses. In full doses, at the 

 outset of colds or inflammatory diseases of the respiratory 

 tract, quiniue may prove abortifacient. Later in these 

 diseases the drug may be given as an antipyretic and anti- 

 phlogistic (without much benefit probably), but in the con- 

 valescent stages quinine, in small doses, becomes of great 

 worth as a tonic. Some experiments involving the injection 

 of putrid material into the blood of dogs, appeared to indi- 

 cate that quinine had a restraining influence on the resulting 

 septic state, and, in some cases, saved life. 



Puerperal fever and erysipelatous inflammation yield 

 somewhat to quinine, and the drug should be tried in these 

 infections. The alkaloid does not lower the temperature or 

 prove destructive to the micrococci of pyaemia. A va'st 

 number of cases of rheumatic fever have beeji treated with 

 quinine in human practice, but the results are inferior to 

 those obtained by salicylates. In subacute and chronic 

 muscular rheumatism quinine is sometimes useful. It has 

 been injected into the affected muscles in this disorder, in 

 horses, with favorable results. 



The alkaloids of cinchona may be used as antipyretics in 

 all acute diseases with the exception of meningitis, cerebritis, 

 gastritis, nephritis and cystitis, where they produce too 

 much irritation. They are also contra-indicated in epilepsy 

 and middle-ear disease. 



3. Specific Properties, — Quinine stands preeminent in the 

 treatment of malaria, as it is the only drug which can be 

 relied upon to kill malarial organisms. While periodicity 

 in the febrile attacks is characteristic of malaria, an absolute 

 diagnosis can only be made by the discovery of Laveran's 

 Plasmodium in the red blood corpuscles. Malaria but rarely 

 affects the lower animals in this part of the country (New 

 England), although exceedingly common among human 

 beings. Cases are said to occur not infrequently among 

 horses and cattle in India. A single full antipyretic dose of 

 quinine, if given from twelve to six hours before a promised 



