i88 
Journal of Agricultural Research. 
YqI XXIII, No. 3 
passage by a prisoner of 67 pinworms and the presence post mortem of 
3,492 pinworms. The findings in Leach’s case, where a relatively large 
dose, 10 cc. followed later by 2 cc., had been given, suggest that carbon 
tetrachlorid does not have a dependable high efficacy against the human 
pinworm, although it will remove some of the worms present in many 
cases. 
One of the writers (Hall) has taken carbon tetrachlorid twice since the 
test reported by him ( 16 ). On that occasion the drug was taken in 
hard capsules. In a second test it was taken in a soft gelatine capsule to 
determine the apparent time in which such capsules open in the stomach. 
The capsule contained 1.5 cc. of carbon tetrachlorid and was from a lot 
that was probably 6 months old at the time this was taken. The capsule 
was taken 2 hours after breakfast, and 20 minutes later a slight sensation 
of dizziness and of discomfort at the stomach was noticed, the sensation 
passing away in the course of a minute. No further sensations were 
noticed, although no precautions were taken in regard to food, smoking, 
or exercise. This suggests that soft capsules will open in the stomach in 
the course of a half hour. However, the tests of this drug and of choloro- 
form, as administered in soft capsules to dogs, point to a certain loss of 
efficacy against hookworms where soft capsules are used. 
Since the reports on the administration of the drug show that it is 
being given in water, with which this drug does not mix, a third test was 
made in which 3 cc. of the drug was taken in 30 cc. of milk. Carbon 
tetrachlorid being a fat solvent mixes somewhat better with milk than 
with water, but the drug is nevertheless left at the bottom of the milk. 
The mixture was not unpleasant to take, but left a somewhat unpleasant 
taste in the mouth. In a half hour a sensation of light-headedness and 
drowsiness came on and this persisted to some extent for the next 5 hours. 
The effects were more noticeable than in the previous tests, and the odor 
of the drug could be detected in eructations for several hours. At the 
end of 5^ hours vomition occurred, and after drinking some coffee this 
occurred a second time 6% hours after taking the drug. The food eaten 
an hour after treatment was digested, but some carbon tetrachlorid 
evidently remained in the stomach, causing nausea by slow absorption. 
Since fats and oils, especially such bland oils as olive oil, tend to remain 
for long periods in the stomach, as Asnis has noted for olive oil, it might 
be assumed that fats and oils tend to hold carbon tetrachlorid in the 
stomach and that such substances are contraindicated in connection 
with the use of this drug. The experiments on cats to ascertain the effect 
of fats and oils on the absorption of carbon tetrachlorid, as already re¬ 
ported in this paper, did not confirm the idea that these substances 
increased the toxicity of carbon tetrachlorid. However, this point 
should be kept in mind by those using the drug, as a matter on which 
information is needed. It might be of interest to note that the experi¬ 
menter was the subject of a Mayo short-loop posterior gastrojejunostomy 
from 11 to 12 years previous to the time these tests were made. 
One of the writers (Shillinger) on another occasion took 2 hard gelatine 
capsules each containing 1.5 cc. of carbon tetrachlorid directly after the 
midday meal. There was the same sensation of dizziness that was felt 
when the drug was taken by him several weeks previously, one-half 
hour before eating at midday, and the drowsiness, as experienced by 
Hall, was noticed. There was no particularly disagreeable sensation of 
irritation or discomfort but rather a desire to rest or sleep, which persisted 
in mild form for about 3 hours. 
