64 Botanic Drugs 



PHARMACOLOGY. Pinene occurs in oil of pine, 

 turpentine, and in some of the essential oils, which 

 acquire in time a terebinthinate odor. OXYPINENE, 

 a new product, is an ozonized pinene. Terpenes 

 oxidize into resins. These two are the interesting 

 agents in Abies, pinene being the important one. 

 It is related to the benzenes and is toxic to living 

 protoplasm, being an antiseptic more toxic to molds 

 than to bacteria (Bucholtz). It penetrates the skin, 

 dilates the vessels, and is rubefacient. Internally it 

 is irritant, causing vomiting and purging and poly- 

 morphonuclear leucocytosis, and it is toxic in large 

 doses to the central nervous system. 



Small amounts are excreted unchanged by the 

 lungs and skin, and by the kidneys with glycuronic 

 acid, which produces diuresis; but large doses de- 

 crease the flow of urine. Turpentine is an unsafe 

 anthelmintic. The positive chemotactic properties 

 tend to retain the leucocytes in the blood-stream 

 (Pohl), thus limiting purulent action in so-called 

 * 'catarrhal ' ' difficulties . 



THERAPEUTICS. Turpentine is a rubefacient val- 

 uable in affections of the chest and abdomen. It is 

 applied in the form of a stupe. 



Turpentine liniments are valuable in myalgia and 

 where slight rubefacient influences are desirable. 

 The various tars are preferable in cutaneous dis- 

 eases. As an antiseptic, turpentine may be used 

 in emergency, especially in penetrating wounds; but 

 do not depend upon its killing the germs of tetanus. 

 Canada pitch produces mild rubefaction, but is now 

 little used. The inhalation of turpentine vapors 

 decreases bronchial secretion and is useful in bron- 

 chitis. 



