— 120 — | 



Coumarin. A paper has been published by E. Biilmann 1 ) on complex 

 mercurial compounds in the coumarin-group, and on the conversion of 

 coumarin into ^-methoxymelilotic acid, /2-ethoxymelilotic acid, and cou- 

 maric ester. We can only quote the reference here. 



Eucalyptol. H. Briining 2 ), by experiments with children suffering 

 from ascaridas, has established the fact that in spite of suitable dosage and 

 administration, eucalyptol (cineol) is wholly ineffective as an anthelmintic. 

 Even when given in comparatively small doses to child-patients it caused 

 abdominal pains, nausea, and vomiting, and even in large doses it failed 

 to have any effect upon the ascaridas. This experience establishes as a 

 fact 3 ) the surmise which had already been expressed that eucalyptol, 

 given in conjunction with chloroform and castor oil, owes its anthelmintic 

 properties solely to the presence of chloroform. After the experiments 

 on animals which had been made by Briining it was to be foreseen that 

 eucalyptol would prove inactive. Living ascaridae derived from human 

 beings were not killed by being immersed for several days in a 0,05 p. c. 

 solution of eucalyptol and common salt. The introduction of eucalyptol 

 into the dorsal lymphatic glands of frogs, and also the inhalation of 

 eucalyptol by frogs, only produced passing paralysis. Eucalyptol, given in 

 doses of about 1 cc. per kilo weight of the animal, was not always fatal to 

 toads, complete recuperation taking place in many cases after a narcosis 

 lasting about 40 hours. In the case of fishes, the addition to the water of 

 1:10000 of eucalyptol did not prove fatal, but the fish were killed by an 

 injection of 0,3 p. c. of their weight of eucalyptol, although an injection of 

 0,02 p. c. of the weight failed to cause the slightest symptoms of discomfort. 

 Administered to fowls in the proportion of about 3 cc. per kilo weight of 

 the bird, eucalyptol only produced a slight irritation of the bowels. Rabbits 

 and guinea pigs are able to support fairly large quantities of eucalyptol. 

 Briining has also investigated the action of eucalyptol upon blood, milk, and 

 bacteria. Only in minimum quantities of 4,8 p. c. is eucalyptol able to 

 prevent the development of sulphuretted hydrogen which takes place in 

 the milk-sulphur method 4 ), and it is unable to arrest the development of 

 bacterium coli and staphylococci even in a strength of 1:20. 



When using American wormseed oil (Oleum Chenopodii anthelmintici) 

 as an anthelmintic Briining invariably obtained good results. According 

 to his experience the oil may also be administered with good effect in1 

 the form of an emulsion (so-called "wermolin"). 



In conclusion we present below a table drawn up by Briining in which 

 the difference between the action of eucalyptol and of American wormseed 

 oil is clearly shown: — 



x ) rdebigs Annalen 388 (1912), 259. 



2 ) Zeitschr. f. experiment. Pathologie u. Therapie 11 (1912), 154. 



3 ) Comp. Report April 1911, 121. 



4 ) See p. 134 of this report. 



