524 The Philippine Journal of Science wii 



Robert states that the Russian extract is about ten times as active 

 as the German extract and twenty times as active as that obtained 

 from France. Van der Marck * and others have found the ex- 

 tract prepared from the rhizomes gathered in September to be 

 the most active. In addition, it has been observed that indi- 

 vidual idiosyncrasies or certain diseases predispose the patient 

 to its toxic effects ; * likewise, the administration of an oily 

 laxative — castor oil — with the extract is said to increase its 

 toxic action,'" or the failure to administer any laxative at all 

 may produce intoxication." Taking into due consideration 

 all of the above factors, there is ample evidence both 

 in the literature and the laboratory to show that the adulteration 

 and deterioration of the extract is a large item in connection 

 with the uncertainty of its therapeutic action. The proof for 

 the latter statement will be presented as this paper progresses. 

 In accordance with our present knowledge, the ethereal extract 

 of male fern owes its tseniafuge properties to the presence of 

 a number of compounds; ketone-like combinations of phloroglu- 

 cinol, mono-, di-, and trimethyl phloroglucinol with butyric acid 

 and the condensation of 2 (flavaspidic acid, albaspidin, etc.), 3 

 (filix acid), or 4 (filmaron) such butanones. Poulsson '- attrib- 

 utes the action to the filix acid alone; Robert '■■ is of the opinion 

 that it is due to an intimate mixture of the filix acid with the fixed 

 and volatile oils; Boehm " states that filix acid, if at all active 

 as a tseniafuge, is much less so than albaspidin; Jaquet,'^ who 

 has reported the latest work on the subject, concludes that the 

 amorphous acid (filmaron) isolated by Kraft '^ is the active 

 principle of the extract. The latter's views are corroborated by 

 Stringari " and others. In as much as Kraft is the only in- 

 vestigator reporting the isolation of filmaron and as the method 

 of isolation cannot be found in the literature, its identity as the 

 chief anthelmintic constituent of the extract can hardly be said 

 to be established. 



"Arch. d. Pharm. (1852), 120, 87-89. 

 'Walko, Deutsch. Arch. f. klin. Med. (1899), 63, 348-358. 

 "Poulsson, Arch. f. exp. Path. u. Pharm. (1892), 29, 1-24. 

 "Gotthilf, Miinch. med. Wochenschr. (1901), 48, 1096. 

 " Loc cit. 



"Chem. Centralbl. (1893), 64, 269, from Therap. Monafsh. (1893), 7, 136. 

 '*Arch. f. exp. Path. u. Phar7n. (1897), 38, 35-38. 



"Jahresb. d. Pharm. (1904), 64, 456, from Therap. Monatsh. (1904), 18. 

 391. 



"Pharm. Zeitg. (1901), 48, 275-276. 

 "Ibid. (1910), 55, 426. 



