Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
May,  1884. 
Kairine  and  Kairoline. 
291 
KAIRINE  AND  KAIROLINE. 
(hydroxyquinolinemethyl  hydride  and  quinolinemethyl 
HYDRIDE.) 
By  Fikehne. 
The  present  paper  treats  of  the  physiological  properties  of  these 
bodies.  They  are  both,  as  well  as  some  other  compounds  of  the  quino- 
line  series,  very  powerful  anti-pyretics,  but  have  no  local  action,  and 
are,  therefore,  valuable  medicines  in  cases  of  fever.  They  are  quite 
similar  in  action ;  kairoline  is,  however,  less  energetic  and  slower  in 
action  than  kairine.  Kairine  has  been  tried  in  a  series  of  acute  and 
chronic  febrile  diseases,  and  in  all,  its  antithermic  action  was  found  to 
be  constant. 
The  hydrochloride  is  the  salt  employed;  it  is  a  clear  crystalline 
greyish-yellow  powder,  very  soluble  in  water,  and  has  a  bitter  some- 
what aromatic  taste.  After  administering  the  powder,  water  should 
be  drunk  freely.  Its  use  is  not  accompanied  by  any  unpleasant  effects, 
such  as  headache,  ringing  in  the  ears,  sickness,  etc.  With  regard  to 
its  antithermic  properties,  doses  of  1  to  1*5  gram  in  healthy  adults 
have  no  physiological  action  and  no  effect  on  the  temperature ;  whilst 
in  cases  of  adult  patients  or  debilitated  subjects,  a  dose  of  1  gram  every 
two  hours  must  not  be  exceeded,  otherwise  cyanosis  is  apt  to  ensue. 
The  most  suitable  dose  in  adult  fever  cases  is  0*3  to  0*5  gram  every 
hour  or  1J  hour.  The  interval  between  1  gram  doses  should  not  ex- 
ceed 2 J  hours,  and  that  between  0*5  gram  doses  not  more  than  1 J  to  2 
hours,  for  the  effect  of  1  gram  only  lasts  three  hours,  whilst  that  of 
05  gram  is  of  2 \  hours'  duration ;  to  produce  a  less  pronounced  effect 
reduce  the  doses,  but  do  not  increase  the  interval.  When  the  influence 
of  the  drug  ceases,  the  temperature  rises  again  with  a  feeling  of  chilli- 
ness amounting  sometimes  to  actual  rigor.  Less  than  0*3  gram  given 
at  once  has  no  practical  effect  on  the  temperature,  a  dose  of  03  to  1 
gram  lowers  the  temperature  by  J  to  2°,  another  dose  given  before  the 
effect  of  the  former  one  passes  away,  causes  a  further  reduction,  and  if 
0*5  gram  be  given  hourly,  it  invariably  follows  that,  without  any  in- 
jurious effect,  the  temperature  falls  to  the  normal  point  or  below  it 
after  the  fourth  (sometimes  after  the  third,  or  even  the  second)  dose. 
The  temperature  cannot  be  brought  below  37  —  36'5°,  and  the  low 
temperature  is  maintained  only  as  long  as  the  administration  of  the 
