214 



Scientific Proceedings (108). 



117 (i577) 



On the comparative toxicity of some alcohols with especial refer- 

 ence to isomers. 



By David t Macht. 



[From the Pharmacological Laboratory of the Johns Hopkins Uni- 

 versity, Baltimore.] 



While the comparative toxicology of various alcohols belonging 

 to the aliphatic series has been studied by various authors, very 

 little is known concerning the comparative pharmacological 

 properties of some of their isomers. The present author, during 

 the past winter, had occasion to determine the relative toxicity of 

 methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl and amyl alcohols, and, in that con- 

 nection made a comparative study of isopropyl, isobutyl, and 

 isoamyl alcohols, together with the normal propyl, butyl and 

 amyl alcohols. The lethal dosage of the various alcohols was 

 first determined by the cat method, that is, by injections intra- 

 venously of 5 or 1 per cent, solutions at regular intervals, and 

 determining the amount of drug per kilo required to kill the animal. 

 It was found, in these acute experiments, that the lethal dose of 

 the normal alcohols followed the well-known Richardson's law, 

 that is, decreased with the increase in molecular weight of the 

 alcohol, as has been shown already by many observers. On 

 comparing the toxicity of propyl, butyl and amyl alcohols, how- 

 ever, with their isomers, the secondary alcohols, it was found 

 that in every case the secondary alcohols were less poisonous than 

 the primary ones. Following the determination of the lethal 

 dosage, experiments were made on isolate frogs' hearts, and here 

 again the same relationship was noted. A third series of observa- 

 tions on the effects of the different alcohols on surviving plain 

 muscle (ureter), also showed that the secondary alcohols were less 

 toxic than the primary ones. 



