Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
November,  1920.  ) 
Current  Literature. 
835 
as  an  inhibitory  or  protective  one.  Syphilitic  reactions  are  due  to 
an  amount  of  albumin  sufficient  to  obscure  partially  the  precipitating 
effect  of  the  globulin.  As  the  globulins  obtained  from  negative 
spinal  fluids,  even  when  used  in  concentrated  form,  are  almost 
inactive,  the  precipitating  action  of  paretic  fluids  cannot  be  ascribed 
solely  to  the  increase  in  globulin,  but  is  probably  dependent  on  a 
specific  alteration  of  the  physical  state  of  the  globulin,  which  is 
associated  with  a  positive  electric  charge.  Human  serum  globulin 
has  the  characters  of  a  positive  colloid,  but  the  paretic  and  syphilitic 
reactions  of  spinal  fluids  cannot  be  attributed  merely  to  the  passage 
of  serum  globulin  into  the  spinal  fluid.  The  meningitic  reactions, 
on  the  other  hand,  may  be  due  to  the  leakage  of  plasma  through 
damaged  meninges.  (From  British  Jour,  of  Exper.  Pathology, 
London,  April,  1920,  i,  No.  2;  through.  J  our .  Amer.  Med.  Assoc., 
August  28,  1920.) 
BknzyIv  Bknzoate:  in  Whooping  Cough. — The  number  of  cases 
studied  by  Macht  was  about  115.  All  these  cases  were  charac- 
terized by  whooping  and  in  many  the  paroxysms  were  accompanied 
by  vomiting  and  small  hemorrhages.  Most  of  the  patients  before 
coming  under  Macht' s  observation  had  been  treated  by  parents 
or  doctors  with  paregoric  and  other  popular  drugs  without  any 
benefit,  while  others  had  been  left  alone  without  any  treatment 
whatever.  A  number  of  the  patients  received  vaccine  treatment, 
but  the  results  in  these  cases  were  also  not  at  all  striking.  All  other 
medication  was  discontinued  and  the  patients  were  given  a  20  per 
cent,  solution  of  benzyl  benzoate  by  mouth.  The  dosage  varied 
from  5  to  40  drops  in  water  three  or  four  times  a  day  and  oftener, 
depending  on  the  age  of  the  patient  and  the  severity  of  the  disease. 
In  cases  in  which  the  simple  alcoholic  solution  of  benzoate  was  found 
to  be  too  distasteful  to  the  young  patients  it  was  flavored  with 
a  few  drops  of  benzaldehyde  and  the  medicine  was  administered  in 
sugar,  water  or  milk.  The  addition  of  a  little  benzaldehyde  to  a 
solution  of  benzyl  benzoate  in  amounts  varying  from  i  to  5  per 
cent,  produced  a  mixture  which  seemed  to  act  more  effectively  in 
cases  of  whooping  cough  than  benzyl  benzoate  alone.  It  was 
found  that  the  administration  of  benzyl  benzoate  in  the  form  of  a 
suspension  in  simple  elixir,  in  syrup  of  yerba  santa  and  other  syrups 
or  elixirs  was  not  a  satisfactory  method  either  of  disguising  the 
taste  or  administering  the  drug  over  long  periods  of  time.  About 
