Botanic Drugs 



jected, and which would develop antitoxins, as 

 antiricin. Of course antiricin is a remedy only to 

 ricin, and otherwise it has no medicinal action, so 

 far as we know. A plant is a toxin, possibly, and 

 may develop an antitoxin but only in the body. 



But, as in Dunbar's serum for hay-fever, an 

 amboceptor, not an antitoxin, was the basis of its 

 activity. Any form of foreign protein parenterally 

 introduced gives rise to the formation of antibodies. 

 It is probable the future will develop much as re- 

 gards the vegetable proteins. 



Now as regards hay-fever pollinosis, if you will 

 and the use of pollen extracts. 



It is quite generally believed that protein cleavage, 

 or the split protein, is responsible for hay-fever 

 anaphylaxis, and Vaughan's theory throws light 

 on the subject. It may be that there is, funda- 

 mentally, but one protein poison involved. 



POLLANTIN, Dunbar's Serum, has no pharmaco- 

 logic action; it contains an amboceptor (possibly 

 some antitoxin) developed in the blood-serum of 

 horses treated with pollen derived from ragweed. 

 One drop is instilled by means of a pipette into the 

 outer angle of each eye and one or two drops into 

 one nostril (the other being kept closed) every morn- 

 ing before rising. Apply four times. It is a good 

 prophylactic and is effective in a certain proportion 

 of developed cases. Pollantin is also supplied in 

 powder; it keeps better than the liquid. 



POLLEN EXTRACT, or POLLEN VACCINE, is a solu- 

 tion of pollen protein. It is prepared from several 

 plants, as timothy pollen extract, ragweed pollen 

 extract, and pollen extract combined. The patient's 

 susceptibility may be tested by rubbing a small 



