26 



Scientific Proceedings (94). 



and without any infection, such as was occasionally noted in cases 

 in which ethyl chloride had been used. In all the above cases the 

 concentrations of the benzyl alcohol employed ranged from 0.5 

 per cent, to 4 per cent, and such solutions were never found to 

 be noticeably irritant to the tissues. As far as the authors have 

 been able to learn none of the other commonly used local anes- 

 thetics such as cocaine, novocain, alypin, etc., can be said to pos- 

 sess antiseptic properties. It is therefore interesting to call at- 

 tention to the antiseptic properties of benzyl alcohol as a desirable 

 concomitant of its anesthetic action. 



18 (1393) 



On the action of opium alkaloids on Trypanosoma brucei. 



By D. I. Macht and J. Weiner. 



[From the Pharmacological Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University 

 and James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, 

 Baltimore, Md.\ 



In a paper on the "Toxic Action of Opium Alkaloids Individ- 

 ually and in Combination with Each Other on Paramecia," by 

 Macht and Fisher, 1 it was shown that some of the opium alka- 

 loids were very toxic for that organism while others produced 

 very little effect on it. It was found that the benzyl-isoquino- 

 lin group of alkaloids of which papaverin is the principal rep- 

 resentative killed paramecia very quickly; whereas the pyridin- 

 phenanthrene group of which morphin is the principal member 

 was comparatively non-toxic. A further analysis of the papav- 

 erin action proved that the toxicity of that alkaloid was to be 

 ascribed to the presence of the benzyl radicle in its molecule. 

 Following the above investigation, it was interesting to inquire 

 into whether the opium alkaloids are also toxic for other forms of 

 protozoa, and especially for trypanosomes. The present authors 

 have accordingly undertaken the study of the action of various 

 opium alkaloids and their derivatives on Trypanosoma brucei. 

 The organisms were obtained through the kindness of Dr. Wade 

 Brown, of the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research. 



1 Macht and Fisher, Jour, of Pharmacol, and Exp. Therap., 1917, x., 95. 



