10 The Philippine Journal of Science 1923 



The results on normal cats showed that the rectal injection 

 of 10 milligrams per kilogram of body weight for three succes- 

 sive days approaches the danger limit. Except in a few in- 

 stances, the total quantity of emetine used in treatment has not 

 exceeded 25 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. 



Subcutaneous and rectal treatment. — A preliminary test of 

 treatment with emetine was made on an adult cat (No. 1) 

 which developed an acute dysentery after inoculation with a 

 patient's stool. A subcutaneous injection of emetine (8 milli- 

 grams per kilogram of body wei^Jit), sufficient to cause slight 

 vomiting, produced no discernible effect on the amoebae. On the 

 second day, 4 milligrams per kilogram were given subcuta- 

 neously. On the third day of treatment, rectal injections 

 of emetine were commenced, and three days later the amoeba 

 disappeared. A little later normal, formed stools were passed. 

 Treatment was discontinued, and the animal remained in ap- 

 parent health, only to relapse. Treatment was not resumed. 

 Death occurred twenty-seven days after injection of amoebae. 

 The autopsy showed typical ulceration of the large bowel and 

 two amoebic abscesses of the liver. 



There is a twofold difficulty in the treatment of kittens; 

 {a) being very susceptible to amoebic infection, they require 

 maximal doses of emetine; and (b) the rapid development of 

 lesions in the bowel facilitates greatly the secondary invasion 

 by bacteria. Untreated animals frequently die a few days after 

 inoculation; blood cultures taken during life have showed staphy- 

 lococci, streptococci, Bacillus pyocyaneus, other unidentified 

 bacilli, and in one instance a streptothrix. Early treatment with 

 emetine does not protect against this bacterial invasion. Con- 

 sequently, the situation arose that kittens frequently became 

 free of amoebae under vigorous emetine treatment, only to die 

 in a few days, the blood culture showing a septicaemia. Even 

 though this septicaemia is of itself an adequate cause of death 

 distinct care must be exercised to avoid a dosage of emetine 

 which of itself might prove fatal. Even under these disad- 

 vantages, there was frequently sufficient time before death for 

 testing the therapeutic action of emetine. 



One animal (No. 2), weighing 870 grams, responded promptly 

 to treatment, the stools being negative for blood and amoebae 

 after the first day of treatment. Emetine was discontinued three 

 days later, after a total of 35 milligrams per kilogram of body 

 weight had been given. This is a larger quantity than we have 

 usually employed, but it was tolerated without nausea or loss 



