136 Report of Schimmel § Co. April /October 1917. 



24 hrs. beforehand. The tubes remained for a week in the incubator at 37° and were 

 examined every day in reference to the development of the bacteria. As already 

 mentioned above, no difference in their antiseptical effects was perceptible between 

 the 3 camphor varieties. 



The theoretical importance of both these investigations is to be found in the 

 demonstration of the equivalency of d- and Z-camphor. In reference to the artificial 

 inactive camphor there is only room for some uncertainty in so far as it apparently 

 shares with natural camphor equally its stimulating effects on the central nervous 

 system, whereas it does not seem to be of any use as a substitute for exciting the 

 heart's action. From the point of view of the synthesis of medical preparations, von 

 Leyden and von der Velden have undoubtedly demonstrated the important fact that 

 no chemical modification of camphor can be employed as a substitute in the treatment 

 of the heart. 



The abstractor of the Therapeutischen Monatshefte remarks on this matter that it is 

 still an open question how far the above statements apply to borneol which the authors 

 did not examine: anyhow, there is no doubt that von Leyden's and von der Velden's 

 thesis does not apply to norcamphor 1 ) which, according to the abstractor's opinion 

 seems to approach as nearly as possible the solution of another important problem, 

 that of a camphor easily soluble in water, a process for preparing solutions of nor- 

 camphor fit for injections. 



the non-appearance of a colouring with vanillin and hydrochloric acid during 

 24 hours 2 ) served as a criterion of the purity of the camphor preparations. As a so 

 far-reaching purification could not be attained by means of recrystallisation, but solely 

 by the help of the osazones, and in this case the slight rotation which commercial 

 samples of artificial camphor show disappears completely. 



In addition to the above-mentioned researches, G. Leone 3 ) has studied the pharma- 

 codynamical effects of camphor on the main arterial system and on the isolated heart. 

 The effects on the main arterial system consist, as Liebmann 4 ) indicates for the smaller 

 one, in a reduction of the arterial pressure and in an increase of the amplitude of the 

 heart beats, when small and medium doses are given (0.25 to 1 eg. per kg.) which is 

 occasionally preannounced or followed by a short increase of the number of beats, 

 during which clonical twitching of the limbs is perceptible; when large doses, sufficient 

 to produce convulsions (2 to 5 eg.) are given the pressure is increased thereby, after 

 a slight, temporary reduction. Smaller and medium doses further produce enlargement 

 of the blood vessels. An increase in the amplitude of the heart beats is also perceptible 

 after large doses and must be attributed to the exciting effect exerted on the excito- 

 motorical apparatus of the heart. Camphor increases the number and amplitude of the 

 heart beats when acting on isolated hearts and brings them, even after they have been 

 almost totally silenced by poisoning with chloralhydrate, back again to their normal 

 function. 



It is not apparent from the abstract what kind of camphor was used for these 

 experiments; however, one must assume that it was the ordinary d-, Japanese camphor. 



Camphorated wine for treating wounds. — R. Koch 5 ) obtained very good results in 

 treating infected wounds with camphorated wine instead of with acetate of alumina. 



!) Bayer 2* Co., D. R. P. 289950; Therap. Monatsh. 30 (1916), 342. — 2 ) Comp. Repdrt April 1915, 77; 

 Bericht October 1916, 60. — 8 ) Arch. d. Farmacol. sperim. 21 (1916), 370; Chem. Zentralbl. 1916, II. 503. - 

 *) Chem. Zentralbl. 1912, II. 46; Report October 1912, 138. — 5 ) Therap. Monatsh. 29 (1915), 175, 251. 



