802 
Benzine  Poisoning. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
December,  1919. 
either  drinking  or  inhaling  large  amounts  of  the  substance.  The 
absorption  of  small  quantities  seldom  produces  ill  effects. 
Benzine  is  a  product  of  petroleum.  It  is  not  to  be  confused  with 
benzene  or  benzol  which  is  obtained  by  the  fractional  distillation  of 
coal  tar.  It  is  not  a  chemically  pure  body,  but  consists  of  that  part 
of  petroleum  which  distills  over  between  70  °  and  900  C.  The  mix- 
ture is  made  up  of  hydrocarbons  of  the  general  formula  CuH2n+2, 
but  consists  principally  of  hexane,  H6H14,  and  heptane,  C7H10. 
Numerous  experiments  have  been  made  to  determine  the  physi- 
ologic and  toxic  effects  of  benzine.  Lehman2  found  that  the  inhala- 
tion of  fumes  by  animals  caused  an  irritation  of  the  respiratory 
mucosa,  muscular  twitchings,  and  a  slowly  increasing  narcosis. 
Felix2  experimented  on  prisoners  in  Bucharest,  administering  ben- 
zine as  one  would  chloroform  for  anesthesia.  Small  doses  produced 
nausea,  smarting  of  the  conjunctivae,  and,  in  some  cases,  burning  in 
the  chest  and  drowsiness.  Larger  doses  caused  sleep  and  anesthesia, 
succeeded  by  nausea,  vomiting,  headache,  dizziness,  depression,  and 
drowsiness.  Montalti,3  after  the  internal  administration  of  certain 
quantities,  noted  vomiting,  uncomfortable  feelings  in  the  stomach, 
difficult  breathing,  miosis,  muscle  tremors,  and  symptoms  of  paralysis 
of  the  central  nervous  system.  He  concluded  that  gastrointestinal 
and  cerebral  toxic  symptoms  are  characteristic  for  benzine  intoxica- 
tion. The  action  he  thought  to  be  due  to  the  affinity  of  benzine  for 
the  fat,  cholesterin,  and  lecithin  group,  which  causes  a  change  in  the 
ganglion  cells. 
Hamilton4  interviewed  nine  interior  house-painters  who  had  ex- 
perienced the  effects  of  using  a  quick-drying  paint  containing  large 
quantities  of  benzine  in  small  and  practically  unventilated  rooms. 
Dizziness,  headache,  spots  before  the  eyes,  dryness  with  choking  in 
the  throat,  and  burning  of  the  eyelids  were  complained  of  by  all, 
while  some  also  had  nausea,  vomiting,  pains  in  various  parts  of  the 
abdomen,  and  dysuria.  In  several  instances  the  worst  discomfort 
developed  on  leaving  work,  the  dizziness  and  staggering  coming  on 
in  the  open  air. 
A  number  of  cases  of  acute  poisoning  are  recorded  in  the  litera- 
ture ;  some  in  children  who  had  drunk  the  benzine,  while  others  had 
2  Quoted  by  Zornlaib :  Wien.  Med.  Wchnschr.,  1906,  LVI,  366. 
3  Quoted  by  Hamilton. 
4  Hamilton,  Kober  and  Hanson  :  "  Diseases  of  Occupation  and  Vocational 
Hygiene,"  Philadelphia,  1916. 
