Am.  jour.  Pharm. )        Piedmontese  Peppermint  Oil.  Sv 
January,  1921.    j  rt  ^ 
into  living  tissue  for  the  same  reason  that  pure  ethyl  alcohol  cannot 
be  administered  in  that  way :  it  leads  to  local  necrosis.  When 
applied  to  mucous  surfaces,  however,  the  drug  is  not  irritating  and 
produces  a  marked  anesthetic  effect. 
I  undertook  experiments  with  a  view  of  enhancing  the  penetra- 
ting power  of  benzyl  alcohol  when  applied  to  mucous  or  skin  sur- 
faces. It  was  found  that  when  the  drug  was  mixed  with  certain 
lipoid  solvents,  the  local  anesthesia  after  its  application  extended 
more  deeply  below  the  surface.  Among  the  most  satisfactory  of 
such  solvents  were  found  to  be  xylene  and  chloroform,  especially 
the  latter. 
In  the  present  note  I  wish  to  call  the  attention  of  the  general 
practitioner  to  a  very  satisfactory  minor  use  of  benzyl  alcohol.  I 
have  found,  as  have  others,  that  benzyl  alcohol  either  alone  (100 
per  cent.),  or,  still  better,  when  mixed  with  an  equal  part  by  volume 
of  chloroform,  furnishes  a  most  efficient  anodyne  for  toothache, 
when  introduced  on  a  pledget  of  cotton  into  a  tooth  cavity,  or 
applied  to  an  exposed  nerve.  The  relief  obtained  by  the  use  of  such 
drops  is  marked  and  almost  instantaneous,  and  is  also  long-lasting. 
I  am  not  aware  of  any  other  drug,  with  the  exception  of  cocaine, 
which  is  more  efficient  in  relieving  toothache.  As  benzyl  alcohol 
is  the  least  toxic  of  all  the  well-known  local  anesthetics,  the  re- 
peated and  free  use  of  such  a  combination  as  was  described  above  is 
free  from  the  objections  which  are  raised  by  the  employment  of 
cocaine,  and  it  can  be  administered  with  impunity  even  to  small 
children.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  it  was  deemed  worth  while  to 
publish  this  note  in  order  to  advise  the  medical  practitioner  of  a 
simple  remedy  for  the  relief  of  one  of  the  most  excruciating  forms 
of  pain. 
PIEDMONTESE  PEPPERMINT  OIL* 
Next  to  the  essential  oils  of  lemon  and  orange,  that  obtained 
from  peppermint  enjoys  a  high  reputation  among  the  numerous 
volatile  oils  produced  by  Italy.  Sig.  Michelletti,  the  editor  of  the 
"Rivista  Italiana  delle  Essenze  e  Profumi,"  contributes  to  "La  Par- 
fumerie  Moderne,"  October,  1920,  an  interesting  account  of  his  re- 
*  From  The  Chemist  and  Druggist,  Oct.  30,  1920. 
