Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
June,  1919. 
Pharmacy  of  Tethelin. 
351 
the  various  forms  of  skin  grafting,  also  in  treating  gastric  ulcers, 
and  in  fact  almost  all  epithelial  lesions  tending  to  chronicity  ?  " 
Cases  of  ulcer  treated  in  the  Out-Patient  Department  of  the 
University  of  California  Medical  School,  by  Barney,  are  reported 
in  his  paper  from  which  the  above  quotation  was  taken.  Applica- 
tions of  gauze,  wet  with  a  solution  of  100  Mgm.  of  tethelin  in  5  Cc. 
of  sterile  distilled  water  were  made  and  this  was  followed  by  dust- 
ing the  ulcerated  surface  with  100  Mgm.  of  powdered  tethelin.  The 
tethelin  was  used  in  conjunction  with  the  regular  surgical  proce- 
dures indicated  in  each  case.  Subcutaneous  injections  of  tethelin 
were  given  beneath  the  ulcer  in  certain  instances  or  injected  along 
the  margin.  In  other  cases  lanolin,  medicated  with  tethelin  was 
used.  In  all  of  these  cases  the  improvement  was  sufficiently  marked 
to  warrant  the  opinion  that  the  excellent  results  might  probably  be 
ascribed  to  the  tethelin  applications.  These  results  could  not  be 
attributed  to  the  regular  surgical  treatment  of  the  cases  for  the 
reason  that  the  improvement  was  not  marked  until  after  the  tethelin 
applications  had  been  made. 
Since  tethelin  is  a  fatty  substance  and  readily  hydrolyzed  by 
alkalies,  it  is  probably  partially  decomposed  in  the  intestine  by  the 
alkaline  juices  and  also  probably  by  the  pancreatic  lipase.  A  large 
part  of  the  tethelin  administered  by  mouth  is  therefore  in  all  proba- 
bility wasted.6 
As  a  consequence,  treatment  by  mouth  is  not  to  be  depended 
upon,  except  as  an  adjunct  to  the  hypodermic  use  of  the  substance. 
The  experimental  work  of  C.  L.  A.  Schmidt7  has  shown  that 
tethelin  is  non-toxic  and  non-antigenic,  hence  it  should  be  thera- 
peutically without  danger  to  the  patient. 
Robertson  and  Ray8  found  by  experiments  upon  mice  that  the 
onset  of  senescence  in  tethelin-fed  animals  was  markedly  deferred 
and  that  the  spontaneous  origin  of  carcinoma,  which  is  essentially  a 
disease  which  accompanies  a  measure  of  senescence,  suffered  more 
than  proportionate  delay,  as  a  consequence.  Even  more  marked 
than  the  delay  in  its  growth  in  the  incidence  of  carcinoma  was  the 
delay  in  its  growth  in  the  tethelin-fed  animals.  In  inoculated  carci- 
noma, the  administration  of  tethelin  caused  marked  acceleration  of 
the  growth. 
6  Robertson,  T.  B.,  "  Endocrinology,"  1917,  1,  p.  34. 
7  Schmidt,  Carl  L.  S.,  Ph.D.,  Jour.  Lab.  and  Clin.  Medicine,  1917,  II,  711. 
8  Robertson,  T.  B.,  and  L.  A.  Ray,  Journ.  Biolog.  Chemistry,  1919, 
XXXVII,  p.  446. 
