PRELIMINARY REPORT ON CREOSOTE AS AN ADJU- 

 VANT IN LEPROSY TREATMENT 1 

 By Jose G. Samson and Gabino Limkako 

 Of the Medical Section, Culion Leper Colony, Philippine Health Service 



INTRODUCTION 



Points of similarity or resemblance between tuberculosis and 

 leprosy make it seem reasonable that any feature of treatment 

 useful in the former disease may prove of value in the latter. 

 However, it is obvious that this would not necessarily be the 

 case, though Muir 2 was led to express the converse opinion that 

 the effective antileprosy treatments are among the best for tu- 

 berculosis. Therefore, before applying on a large scale to lep- 

 rosy treatment any drug accepted as useful in tuberculosis, its 

 value in the former disease should be established or at least 

 clearly indicated. 



Muir, after using Rogers's sodium gynocardate and sodium 

 morrhuate in treating lepers, introduced a mixture of chaul- 

 moogra ethyl ester, 1 milliliter; creosote, 1 milliliter; camphor, 

 1 gram ; and olive oil, 2.5 milliliters, which he refers to as E. C. 

 C. 0. At the time the chaulmoogra ethyl esters were being tried 

 in the Philippines in comparison with Rogers's and other prepa- 

 rations, as a result of which they were adopted as the best drug 

 for routine treatment under existing conditions. At the same 

 time (1921), the workers then at Culion tried, in a few cases of 

 leprosy complicated with tuberculosis, a cod-liver oil modifica- 

 tion of Muir's formula known here as M. C. C. 0., with benefit, 

 it seemed, to patients showing the primary infection. As it 

 was a matter of considerable interest to determine definitely 

 whether the addition of creosote to the routine ethyl ester prep- 

 aration would give better results in treatment, we had become 

 sufficiently interested in the matter to encourage us to carry 



'Read before the Culion Medical Society, June 29, 1923. Published 

 with the consent of the Director of Health and the approval of the Phil- 

 ippine Leprosy Research Board. 



* Muir, E., Handbook on Leprosy. Cuttack, R. J. Grundy (1921) 63. 



