ANTIFEBRIN OR ACETANILID. 
247 
No better opportunity, it seems to me, could be found to 
reach a fair average of the extent to which the disease pre¬ 
vails among our animals. 
ANTIFEBRIN OR ACETANILID. 
By G. G. Ferling, V.S., Richmond, Ind. 
A Paper read at the joint meeting of the Indiana and Illinois Veterinary 
Medical Associations. 
The list of antipyretics has been increased by the discovery 
of antifebrile properties, which are derived from aneline. The 
discoverers, Drs. H. Cahn and P. Hepp, for convenience 
named it antifebrin. It is reported to possess four times 
stronger antipyretic power than antipyrin. Antifebrin or 
acetanilid, as its name indicates, means acetic and aniline, 
and is prepared by heating aniline and glacial acetic acid in a 
flask provided with an upright condenser for forty-eight 
hours and then distilling. 
Where acetanilid is obtained in an impure state, it then 
may be purified by crystaiization from benzol, or boiling 
water. Acetanilid when pure is a white crystalized powder 
without odor, imparting a slight burning sensation to the 
tongue and melting at ioi degrees. It is soluble in 189 parts of 
cold water at 6. 42-8 F. and more readily soluble in ether and 
alcohol. From its alcoholic solutions it is not precipitated by 
water. It is also soluble in oils and benzine. 
Antifebrin is a neutral substance, not acted upon by sul 
phuric or hydrochloric acid, having neither basic or acid prop¬ 
erties. There can be no salts of which it may form a part; 
as in the case of most of the recent antipyretics. 
ACTIONS AND USES. 
It has a depressing action on the heart, and has to be 
watched, because it is liable to do some harm. I believe I 
had one case where it had such a depressing action on the 
heart that I followed up with stimulants and digitalis. 
It is eliminated by the kidneys. Windriner states that it 
is not found in the urine, as antifebrin or aniline, but con 
