— 117 — 
larger degree than the plants mentioned before, phosphorus -like fatty 
degeneration of the liver and other organs. Oil of European penny- 
royal has, particularly in England, in attempts at abortion frequently 
caused severe intoxication, and even death It is derived from various 
plants and different countries. There are four commercial qualities of 
our oil: the Spanish is derived from Meittha pulegium; the American 
from Hedeoma pulegioides\ the Russian from Pulegium micranthum, and 
the Canarian from BysUvpogon origanifolius'^\ The physiologico- chemical 
behaviour of pulegone in the organism has been studied by Linde- 
mann and Hildebrandt^). 
Oil of rue has frequently been used for purposes of abortion, especially 
in France. Its chemical composition was again examined only last year, 
by C. Mannich^), and also by Power and Lees^). According to 
these authors, the oil is a mixture of more than ten different substances, 
of w^hich methyl nonyl ketone and methyl heptyl ketone are no doubt 
the most important; of the former, according to Gildemeister and 
Hoffmann, the oil may contain as much as 90 per cent. Pharma- 
cological examinations of this body by H. Paschkis and Fr. Ober- 
mayer^) are the only ones at present available. According to these, 
methyl nonyl ketone has a powerful reducing action on the pressure 
of the blood, with which the abortient effect may be connected. The 
oil as such acts moreover as a strong local irritant, which may equally 
lead to abortion. 
The use of arnica flowers for the purpose of expelling the foetus has 
again been observed medically not later than last year"^). The infusion 
from 20 grams flowers was already sufficient to make a girl extremely 
ill. We find in literature proofs of the abortifacient use of this remedy, 
which go back for a period of several centuries. The symptoms occurring 
after taking the infusion, such as hsematemesis , show that arnica oil 
exerts a powerful local stimulation, a fact also proved by other obser- 
vations. We return to this remedy when dealing with the cutaneous 
stimulants. 
The apiol of the oils of parsley and dill has been recommended 
by J. Roussel in doses of 0,2 gram, dissolved in oil, for promoting 
the discharge of the menses in amenorrhoea; but this statement requires 
further confirmation. 
^) The Lancet, loth April, 1897. 
2) Report Schimmel & Co., Oct. 1902, p. 82. 
^) Ztschr. f. physiol. Chem. 36 (iqo2), 456. 
^) Ber. d. d. pharm. Ges. 12 (1902), 267. 
^) Chem. Centralbl. 1903, I, 29. 
^) Pharmakol. Untersuchungen iiber Ketone und Acetoxime. Sitzungsber. d. 
kaiserl. Akad. der Wiss. zu Wien, Mathem. Klasse. Vol. 101, Part. 3, May 1892, 
^) Deutsche Medizinal-Zeitung 1902 (Nr. 90). 
