Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  > 
January,  1921.  J 
Current  Literature. 
59 
Eucalyptus  Leaves  for  Diabetes. — As  the  result  of  a  paper 
published  in  the  Revue  horticole  d' Alger,  the  treatment  of  diabetes 
by  infusion  of  eucalyptus  leaves  has  been  frequently  tried.  Dr. 
Perez,  in  a  communication  to  the  author,  says  that  after  reading 
of  the  good  effect  produced  by  the  drug  many  experiments  had 
been  made,  and  complete  success  attained;  he  did  not  think  there 
were  any  more  cases  of  diabetes  in  the  island  (TenerifTe) .  A 
very  marked  aphrodisiac  action  was  also  observed.  Dr.  Trabut  has 
himself  frequently  prescribed  it  with  very  favorable  results.  A 
decoction  of  10  to  15  gm.  of  leaves  in  500  c.  c.  of  water  is  em- 
ployed, but  a  liquid  extract  would  probably  be  a  more  convenient 
preparation.  {Bull,  Gen.  de  Therap.,  171 :  428;  through  The  Pharm. 
Jour.  &  Pharmacist,  September  18,  1920.) 
Fatal  Poisoning  With  Methyl  Bromide. — Goldschmid  and 
Kuhn  relate  that  after  a  kettle  containing  178  kg.  of  methyl  bro- 
mide had  exploded,  the  men  resumed  work  in  the  room,  noticing 
merely  a  transient  aromatic  odor.  There  were  absolutely  no  symp- 
toms at  first,  but  the  second  day  afterward  two  or  three  of  the  men 
complained  of  dizziness  or  unstable  balance,  and  the  room  was 
evacuated  for  twelve  days.  Then  work  was  resumed  and  the  men 
left  that  evening  in  apparent  health,  but  one  was  found  dying  on 
the  street,  and  two  others  presented  similar  symptoms  in  a  day  or 
two ;  with  only  a  brief  prodrome,  epileptiform  convulsions  developed 
suddenly,  with  loss  of  consciousness  and  pulmonary  edema,  fatal 
in  a  few  hours.  Six  others  were  treated  in  the  hospital  for  dizzi- 
ness, headache,  loss  of  balance  and  general  depression,  but  there 
was  no  disturbance  in  vision,  no  nausea,  no  vomiting,  and  the  blood 
findings  were  normal.  The  men  regained  their  earning  capacity, 
but  still  showed,  eight  months  later,  occasional  tremor  of  the  hands 
and  tongue,  and  the  Romberg  sign  was  weakly  positive.  The 
clinical  picture  thus  differed  from  that  of  the  few  cases  of  methyl 
bromide  poisoning  on  record.  Necropsy  revealed  acute  changes 
in  the  ganglion  cells  of  the  cortex  in  each  fatal  case.  Pulmonary 
edema  and  suppurative  bronchitis  were  found  also  in  the  one  case 
examined.  (From  Zentralblatt  fur  Gewerbehygiene,  etc.,  Berlin, 
Feb.,  1920;  8,  No.  2,  through  Jour.  Amer.  Med.  Assoc.,  Oct.  16, 
1920.) 
