NOTES ON SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. 77 
Charlottenburg hospital, and that no difference had shown itself, neither when given 
externally, nor internally. Owing to the complete absence of definite and minute 
clinical observations, Heffter thinks it rather risky to substitute artificial camphor 
straight away, for internal and subcutaneous applications, to the natural product, the 
use and dosage of which have become familiar to our physicians through many 
years of experience. He considers it desirable to examine systematically the pos- 
sibility of using artificial camphor clinically as a stimulant for the blood circulation 
and respiration. He finds no objection against artificial camphor in preparations for 
external use. 
According to R. Kaufmann’), inactive synthetic camphor is not only equal to Japanese 
camphor for external use, but even somewhat superior in efficacy. As further advan- 
tages, comparing it with the natural product, he mentions its purity, its deodorizing 
action and its present cheap price. 
As Frohner?) established through therapeutical experiments, already in 1908, there 
is no objection against the administration of camphor to horses. He therefore recom- 
mended at the time artificial camphor- as a substitute for the natural product. 
According to Fréhner, objections against its application to human beings are un- 
founded. 
Needless to say that camphor used for therapeutical purposes should fulfil 
certain distinct requirements as to purity. According to E. Richter®), the following 
impurities come into consideration: bornyl chloride, camphene, borneol, isoborneol 
and alcohol. Camphene makes itself conspicuous perhaps by lowering the m.p. The 
presence of bornyl chloride, even if the content is as low as 0,5 p.c., can be proved 
by the test with a copper wire netting. Richter thinks it more difficult to establish 
the presence of borneol and isoborneol. 
P. Bohrisch*) writes about the testing of officinal camphor for its identity. Accord- 
ing to Lenz’), natural camphor, when heated with 38 p.c. hydrochloric acid, ought 
to give a red colour, which is more intense than that resulting with vanillin and 
hydrochloric acid. However, when trying Lenz’s test, Bohrisch never obtained a 
cherry-red colour, but at most yellowish and dirty pinkish-yellow tints. On heating 
carefully with a freshly prepared solution of vanillin and hydrochloric acid (1:100), 
however, officinal camphor gave at 30° a yellow, at 60° a bluish green and at 75 to 80° 
an indigo colour. The latter remained for several hours after cooling. Synthetic camphor 
gave a yellow colour when treated in the same manner. 
With vanillin and sulphuric acid, camphor showed colours passing from pink into 
green and indigo. Synthetic camphor first became yellow; then it discoloured, and 
the mixture became turbid at the same time. 
Supersan. In the treatment of pneumonia, pleuritis and bronchitis, Berliner *) ob- 
tained favourable results with gluteal injections of a mixture of menthol and eucalyptol, 
especially if antifebrin and salipyrin were added. This new remedy he called supersan. 
As to an attempt to explain the antidotal action of turpentine oil in cases of 
phosphorus poisoning see page 45. 
1) Feldérztl. Beil. d. Minch. Med. Wochenschr. 1915, 319; Apotheker. Ztg. 80 (1915), 123. — °%) Pharm. Ztg. 
60 (1915), 24. — *) Apotheker Zig. 30 (1915), 14. — Pharm.. Ztg. 60 (1915), 46. — +4) Pharm. Zentralh. 55 
(1914), 1003. — *) Arch. der Pharm. 249 (1911), 286. — °%) Deutsche med. Wochenschr. 1914, 2100; Apotheker 
Ztg. 29 (1914), 988. 
