Notes on scientific research. 139 



Physiological effects of d-pinene hydrochloride and of d-camphene on frogs. — S. Dontas 

 and D. E. Tsakalotos 1 ) have investigated the effects of d-pinene hydrochloride and of 

 d-camphene on the heart and respiration of frogs in comparison to those of d-camphor 

 and of d-pinene. They have ascertained thereby that the physiological effects of 

 d-camphene bear the strongest resemblance to those of d-pinene, whereas those of 

 d-pinene hydrochloride can hardly be distinguished from those of d-camphor. The only 

 difference in the attitude of the two last-mentioned compounds consists therein that 

 d-pinene hydrochloride produces an even stronger palpitation of the heart than d-camphor, 

 but its efficacy is of shorter duration. Besides this, d-pinene hydrochloride does not 

 affect the respiration in the least, whereas d-camphor exerts a very strong influence 

 in this direction. 



On the diuretic effect of an infusion of spike blossoms, vide page 60. 



On the haemolytic effect of thymol, vide page 101. 



On the use of thymol as a mouth wash, vide page 101. 



On the physiological effect of wormseed oil, vide page 80. 



On the treatment of itch by means of cinnamaldehyde, vide page 90. 



Chemical Notes. 



The use of heliotropin, cinnamaldehyde, and of methyleugenol etc. as raw material for 

 the production of compounds of importance from a therapeutic standpoint. — The researches 

 on the constitution of natural alkaloids which are so important in therapy have proved 

 that many of them are derivates of quinoline or tsoquinoline. Accordingly, the question 

 of employing quinoline or isoquinoline for building up medical compounds was of special 

 interest, and as a matter of fact gradually numerous derivatives of these bases have 

 been produced which are in reality efficacious remedies in therapy or at least said to 

 be so. The effect, namely, of many of these preparations, generally manufactured 

 according to patented processes, is still very incompletely known; others amongst them 

 have not succeeded in practice and only a few of them have hitherto been able to 

 assert themselves. Even the synthesis of quinine, the most important alkaloid, has not 

 succeeded yet in spite of the fact that the consumption of quinine is very much greater 

 than that of all other artificial remedies. 



The reason why we wish to discuss the building up of some derivatives of quinoline 

 or other compounds related to alkaloids is simply because many of them are derived 

 from preparations which we manufacture ourselves. For this purpose we quote a series of 

 essays by G. Conn 2 ), entitled, "Artificial remedies of the quinoline and isoquinoline group." 



For instance, in order to produce >piperonyl-quinoline-4-carboxylic acid, heliotropin 

 (piperonal) is boiled according to a patented process with aniline and pyro-racemic acid 

 in alcoholic solution 3 ). 



x ) Journ. de Pharm. et Chim. VII. 15 (1917), 12; Apotheker Ztg. 32 (1917), 108. — «) Pharm. ZcntraUrt. 

 57 (1916), 663, 704, 715, 732, 749, 768, 788, 807, 826; 58 (1917), 70, 83, 95, 107. - s ) P. R. P. 244497; Chem. 

 Ztntralbl. 1912, I. 690. 



