364 
Note  on  Antipyretics, 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
July,  188*. 
pyrin.  This  was  investigated  therapeutically  by  Prof.  Filehne,  who 
reported  that  it  was  an  active  antipyretic.  For  some  months  nothing 
was  published  in  regard  to  the  character  or  composition  of  this  sub- 
stance, but  when  it  had  been  patented  and  introduced  into  commerce 
by  the  color  makers  above  mentioned,  Dr.  Knorr  published  a  paper 
stating  that  antipyrin  was  a  derivative  of  an  hypothetical  base  which 
he  called  chinizin,  the  systematic  name  being  dimethyloxychinizin.  Its 
antipyretic  action  was  soon  reported  upon  very  favorably  by  many 
German  observers  of  note,  and  it  was  made  on  a  large  scale  and  well 
advertised  at  a  high  price,  but  not  so  high  as  kairin.  As  it  came  into 
use  the  makers  sought  to  patent  it  in  other  countries,  and  found  no 
difficulty  in  extending  the  German  patent  to  the  United  States.  But 
in  France  there  was  difficulty.  In  the  political  economy  of  France, 
and  to  the  great  honor  of  the  nation,  it  has  long  been  held  that  the 
interests  of  suffering  humanity  are  superior  to  the  interests  of  invent- 
ors, and  therefore,  as  a  sanitary  measure,  patents  upon  medicines  are 
not  granted,  and  patented  medicines  from  all  sources  are  prohibited. 
The  German  patentees  were  part  owners  in  a  color-making  company 
in  France,  and  through  this  connection  obtained  a  patent  on  the  pro- 
cess for  manufacturing  dimethyloxychinizin  as  an  aniline  product. 
But  as  it  was  not  used  for  any  industrial  purposes,  and  could  not  be 
sold  as  a  patent  medicine,  the  French  patent  could  not  be  used;  and 
as  processes  and  articles  patented  in  France  but  made  elsewhere  are 
absolutely  prohibited,  France  seemed  to  be  excluded  from  the  use  of 
antipyrin  as  well  as  kairin,  unless  it  be  admitted  that  any  chemical 
manufacturer  or  pharmacist  in  France  has  the  legal  right  to  make  and 
sell  such  articles  when  used  only  as  medicines,  without  regard  to  the 
patent  rights  of  other  nations.  This  point  is  understood  to  be  still 
unsettled,  and  every  parcel  of  kairin  and  antipyrin  bears  on  the  label, 
"  Importation  into  France  prohibited  on  account  of  the  French  Patent 
Laws.^' 
Thallin. — During  1884  a  chinoline  derivative  was  made  by  Dr. 
Skraup  in  this  same  search  after  quinine  substitutes — which  from 
yielding  a  very  green  color  on  reacting  with  ferric  chloride  and  oxi- 
dizing agents  was  called  thallin.  The  systematic  chemical  name  of 
this  base  is  tetrahydroparachinanisol,  and  the  sulphate  of  this  base  is 
the  salt  commonly  used  as  an  antipyretic.  Several  of  the  salts  of  the 
base  were  investigated  at  the  clinic  of  Prof  Nothnagel,  and  it  is  said 
to  be  very  active  in  comparatively  small  doses.    It  is  patented  and 
