1909.] Experimental Treatment of Trypanosomiasis. 359 



Two Surra rats were taken on the fifth day, when the blood was swarming 

 with trypanosomes, and 6 minims were given. Two and a-half hours after the 

 rats were killed, and smears were made from the lungs, liver, spleen, kidney, 

 bone-marrow, heart's blood, and brain. In none of the specimens could a 

 trypanosome be found after prolonged examination. 



This oil was also given to several rats upon recurrences after treatment 

 with small doses of the lactates mentioned above : in these cases the effect 

 was much less marked, even although the number of trypanosomes in the 

 blood was much less than in the rats treated for the first time. This accords 

 with our general experience that recurrences are much more difficult to deal 

 with than the initial infection, and this applies to all the drugs we have 

 tried. 



A suspension in cod liver oil took four hours to drive the trypanosomes 

 out of the peripheral blood. 



The suspension in egg-yolk appeared to act in rats better than any other ; 

 in dogs, however, the results were variable ; sometimes strikingly good, at 

 others no better than the other mixtures : sometimes causing great irritation 

 and sloughing, sometimes not causing any irritation at all. We have rats alive 

 for more than 120 days after inoculation, with no recurrences, after one dose. 



An experiment was made to see how long one dose took to drive the 

 trypanosomes out of the blood. A Surra rat on the fourth day was treated 

 with 5 minims of a 5 per cent, suspension. 



Blood was taken and showed the following : 



| hour after injection. .. Trypanosomes much affected, but not decreased. 



Many " battledore " forms, 

 hours „ ... Trypanosomes reduced in numbers: all swollen 



and " battledore " forms : very little movement. 

 1\ „ „ ... No trypanosomes found. 



Experiments with Quassia. 

 Dr. Guillemard, of Cambridge, suggested that quassia, on account of its 

 known poisonous effects on some of the lower forms of life, should be tested 

 for its trypanocidal qualities. A series of experiments was therefore under- 

 taken on rats. 



Six Surra rats were treated on the third and following days of the 

 disease with a 5 per cent, solution of the pharmacopceal extract of quassia : 

 they were given three doses subcutaneously — 5 minims on the third day, 

 10 minims on the fourth, and 10 minims on the fifth day. The trypanosomes 

 were entirely unaffected, and the animals died on the sixth — seventh day. 



