3 7 be avare of the fact 1 we s may ‘mention that in judging thymol 
the size of crystals counts for nothing at all, but only the purity of the preparation, 
in this case the melting point. On this point, however, the paragraph in question is 
r merely silent. 
Manufacture of thymol is said to have been attempted successfully in India too, 
evidently from ajowan oil, and, as far as we can gather from the reports to-hand, on 
- a small scale only+). The “Technical Laboratory of the Department of Industries, 
_ “United Provinces of India’ advocates by circular the manufacture of thymol in India, 
where the raw material is cheap and where very good samples were produced by 
3 experiments carried out in the laboratory. The circular continues: 
“Thymol was sold before the war at 5 to 6 shillings per lb. The price jumped up 
enormously soon after the supplies from Germany were stopped, and not so long ago 
_ thymol was quoted at 30 shillings per pound. It is obvious that the manufacture of 
_ thymol in India at the present time should yield a good return. Even under normal 
conditions there is no reason why thymol should not be made in India at least as 
cheaply as elsewhere, seeing that we have the raw material in our midst, and a small 
company has recently been established in Dehra Dun for its manufacture. The apparatus 
_ required is simple and inexpensive. The demand for thymol both in India and in Great 
Britain is great, and there should be no difficulty therefore in finding a ready sale”. 
_ According to R. Meldrum’) the point of solidification of “thymol varies between 
48.2 and 49.2°. The variation depends on the width of the test tube and the absorption 
_ of moisture by thymol. The higher value must be looked upon as being more correct 
as it approaches the melting point more closely. : 
. On a previous occasion’) we felt cailed upon to state that we consider it more 
correct if in the evaluation of thymol the melting point, and not the solidifying point, 
is considered as there can be no doubt but that the former can be determined more 
exactly. The observations made by Meldrum only confirm our opinion. 
Althoff*) reports on the use of thymol in cases of Herpes zoster. He considers 
_ this complaint an accute infection requiring a corresponding treatment and he recom- 
_ mends the following ointment: — 
cup. Lihpmnolis 6% Seem eae CA) 
Acid. carbolic. Paves eae 180 
Vasc albix so) oe = ad 1000 
This ointment is placed twice a day on the affected part. Moreover three times a 
day a powder is given consisting of 0.5 g. urotropine and 0.5 g. aspirine in half a 
glass of water, followed by a cup of hot tea. Treatment should be started as early as 
_ possible: it relieves the pain and the itching and shortens the duration of the complaint. 
According to A. Géronne and W. Lenz®) another practical use for thymol consists 
in treating typhoid bacilli carriers with thymolized charcoal. Their experiments were 
dictated by the intention to use the coal as carrying medium for the desinfectant and 
in this way to avoid too quick an absorption of the remedy. In three obstinate cases, 
1) Daily Consular and Trade Reports, Washington, N° 37 of February 14tr. 1916, page 610. — 2%) Chem. 
News 111 (1915), 193; Chem. Zentralbl. 1915, Il. 536. — *) Report April 1914, 105. — *) Minch. med. Wochen- 
_ sehr. Y914, 1916; Merck’s Jahresber. 28 (1914), 457. — *) Berl. klin. Wochenschr. 52 (1915), 341; Chem. Ztg. 
-Repert. 40 (1916), 27. 
