Am,  Jour.  Pharm. 
Aug.,  1888. 
Pyridine. 
419 
relief  in  asthma.  He  says  that,  next  to  iodine,  it  is  the  most  useful 
remedy  in  this  ailment.  (See  Medical  Chronicle,  Sept.,  1885.)  The 
use  of  pyridine  has  since  been  advocated  by  Nefl,^  Kovacs^  (see  Medi- 
cal Chronicle,  June,  1887),  and  others.  Silva^  has  examined  further 
its  action  on  the  respiratory  organs,  and  concludes  that  it  acts  by  stim- 
ulating the  trigeminal  nerves,  and  thence  the  respiratory  centre,  which, 
however,  it  subsequently  paralyses.  It  also  influences  the  pneumo- 
gastric  endings,  causing  increased  secretion  of  the  bronchial  tubes. 
Like  Bochefontaine,  he  found  that  its  inhalation  produced  a  tendency 
to  sleep,  from  which  he  concludes  that  it  also  influences  the  cerebral 
cortex. 
His  *  has  made  investigations  to  dietermine  what  becomes  of  pyridine 
when  taken  internally.  He  started  with  the  idea  that  it  would  under- 
go changes  somewhat  similar  to  those  of  benzol,  from  which  it  dififers 
only  by  the  substitution  of  an  atom  of  N  for  one  of  CH.  Now, 
benzol,  w^hen  introduced  into  the  system,  is  excreted  as  phenol,  but 
the  phenol  does  not  appear  free  in  the  urine  alone,  but  in  a  compound 
paired  with  Hg  SO^.  On  giving  acetate  of  pyridine  to  animals,  how- 
ever, he  found,  not  what  he  expected,  but  methyl-pyridyl  ammonium 
hydroxide  (OH.CH3  NCgHg).  Oechsner  de  Coninck,  in  a  communi- 
cation made  to  the  Societe  de  Biologic  (1887)  whilst  acknowledging 
the  possibility  of  such  a  transformation,  asserts  that,  from  experi- 
ments made  in  1884,  he  is  satisfied  a  considerable  portion  of  the  pyri- 
dine taken  internally  escapes  unchanged  in  the  urine,  saliva,  and  breath 
exhalations. 
De  Renzi^has  given  pyridine  internally.  He  finds  that  it  decreases 
the  frequency  of  the  heart's  action,  and  increases  the  force  of  the 
systole.  It  increases  the  blood  pressure,  and  under  its  influence  he 
has  seen  irregularity  of  the  heart's  action  disappear.  It  lessens  the 
frequency  of  respiration.  He  says  that  six  to  ten  drops  may  be  taken 
daily  and  the  amount  may  be  gradually  increased  to  25  drops.  He 
recommends  it  in  asystolism.  He  says  it  has  the  advantage  over  digi- 
talis of  acting  quicker  and  not  being  cumulative.  He  has  found  it 
useful  in  angina  pectoris. 
1  N.  York  Med.  J.,  1886,  XLIII. 
2  men.  med.  Bl,  1886,  IX. 
3  Gaz.  delle  Cliniche,  June,  1886. 
^Arch.f.  Path  u.  Phar.,  XXII. 
^  Eiv.  Clin.  e.  terap.  Napoli,  1887. 
