134 Report of Schimmel $ Co. April /October 1917. 



in goat's urine, but is not to be found in either horse's or human urine, in which it seems 

 to be replaced by a similar compound, the above-mentioned neutral substance C 7 H 12 0(?). 



Physiological effect of d-, 1- and' \-camphor. — The question as to whether d-, I- and 

 i-camphor are to be regarded as equivalent from a pharmacological point of view 

 has — apart from its theoretical value — become important because owing to the war 

 the importation of d-camphor (Japanese camphor) is excluded, and hence pharmaco- 

 logists and medical men have to decide if Japanese camphor can be substituted by 

 the artificial inactive camphor. 



The Prussian scientific committee for medical concerns (Preuft. Wissenschaft- 

 liclie Deputation fur das Medizinakvesen) answered this question in their verdict of 

 October 7 th , 1914 to the effect that it would be a risky matter to substitute 1 ) ^-camphor 

 at least for subcutaneous and internal applications by the artificial product with 

 equanimity. 



According to G. joachimoglu 2 ), this committee arrived at this result since exact 

 clinical observations on the effects of artificial camphor were wanting, as on investigating 

 both d-, I- and i-camphor he found that practically in reference to their toxicity and 

 to the symptoms of disease they produce there was no difference whatever between 

 them. He determined the letal quantity of the three camphor preparations required 

 by making intraperitoneal injections of their oily solutions into cats. The effects of 

 eZ-camphor (Pharm. Germ.) differed in no manner whatever from those of Z-camphor, 

 m. p. 176 to 177°; [«] D —40°, supplied by us, and to which a greater efficacy 

 is frequently attributed. Besides, ^-camphor, the artificial product manufactured from 

 oil of turpentine, which nowadays has acquired so much importance as a substitute 

 owing to the. natural product not being obtainable, showed no difference whatever in 

 comparison to both its optically active compounds, as long as a pure compound 

 (Schering, m. p. 172°; [«] D +3,025°) was employed. A preparation of Boenringer 

 (m. p. 172°; [«] D +0.225°) which apparently contained impurities and gave a weak 

 chlorine reaction produced a letal effect only when a dose 17s times as strong as the 

 other compounds was employed. Neither in reference to their action on the central 

 nervous system (acceleration of breathing, convulsions) could any difference between 

 the 3 isomeric camphors be observed. 



Whereas these experiments were undertaken mainly for practical purposes in order 

 to compare the efficacy of the 3 isomeric camphors, P. Leyden and R. von der Velden 3 ) 

 have investigated in what manner a considerable number of camphor preparations act 

 on the heart. They examined to what extent these substances which were dropped 

 directly on to the exposed frog's heart were capable of neutralising the reduction in 

 frequency produced on it by chloralhydrate. In this case also Z-camphor proved to 

 be about on a par with the d-prbduct. On the contrary, the artificial i-camphor as 

 well as a mixture of both the optical isomerides produced no action whatever on this 

 experimental material. Slight alterations in the form ot the camphor molecule (I), as 

 they are caused in epicamphor (^-camphor) (II) 4 ) by the greater distance between the 

 methyl and ketone group, in ethylcamphor (III) by the substitution of the methyl by 

 the ethyl group, in camphenilone (IV) by the addition of a second methyl group, quite 

 obliterate any effect on the heart. In like manner the pure hydrocarbon, camphene (V) 





x ) Comp. Report April 1915, 76. — 2 ) Arch. f. experiment. Pathol, u. Pharmacol. 80 (1916), 1; Apotheker 

 Ztg. 31 (1916), 393. — Therap. Monatsh. 30 (1916), 450. — Chem. Zentralbl. 1916, II. 408. — Berichte d. deutsch 

 pharm. Ges. 26 (1916), 427. — ») Arch. f. experiment. Pathol, u. Pharmacol. 80 (1916), 24; Therap. Monatsh 

 30 (1916), 450. — Chem. Zentralbl. 1916, II. 408. — *) Comp. Report April 1914, 141. 



