Am,  Jour.  Pharm,  I 
Jan.,  i88o.  J 
Co^o  Barks, 
27 
general  the  observations  of  Dr.  von  Gietl,  that  coto  bark  may  be 
regarded  as  a  specific  against  diarrhoea  in  its  various  modifications  ;  but 
the  unpleasant  secondary  effects  seem  to  render  it  an  undesirable  rem- 
edy. Paracoto  bark  and  its  tincture  were  found  to  possess  scarcely  any 
effect  in  the  disease  mentioned. 
Cotoin  vi^as  used  in  doses  of  0*05  gram  every  two  or  three  hours, 
either  in  powder  or  in  aqueous  solution,  with  the  addition  of  a  flavoring 
excipient,  and  was  found  to  be  particularly  useful  in  chronic  intestinal 
catarrh  combined  with  atonic  condition  of  the  membranes.  Phthisical 
diarrhoeas  were  alleviated  and  a  diminution  of  the  fever  resulted.  The 
observations  in  diarrhoea  of  children  have  as  yet  been  too  limited. 
Cotoin  is  excreted  through  the  urine  within  4  or  6  hours  after  taking 
it,  and  may  be  recognized  by  its  behavior  to  nitric  acid.  Dr.  Burkart 
suggests  that  cotoin  may  be  useful  in  cholera  in  the  form  of  hypoder- 
mic injections. 
Paracotoin  was  found  by  Dr.  Burkart  to  have  no  action  whatever 
upon  the  mucous  membranes,  and  to  be  excreted  with  the  urine.  It 
was  given  in  doses  of  o*i  to  0*2  gram  every  two  or  three  hours,  in  24 
cases  of  acute  intestinal  catarrh,  3  cases  of  cholera  nostras  and  6  cases 
of  chronic  intestinal  catarrh.  In  22  out  of  the  24  cases  three  or  four 
doses  effected  a  cure  ;  in  the  other  2  cases  no  effect  was  observed. 
Two  cases  of  cholera  nostras  were  cured,  ice  and  champaign  having 
been  given  at  the  same  time.  The  third  case  was  a  man  74  years  old, 
who  died  on  the  third  day.  Three  cases  of  chronic  diarrhoea  were 
those  of  consumptives,  and  were  much  benefitted.  The  other  three 
cases  required,  respectively,  3  weeks,  2  weeks  and  4  days  for  curing 
the  diarrhoea. 
Paracotoin  has  been  successfully  used,  hypodermically,  in  5  cases  of 
cholera  in  Japan  ("  Centralbl.  d.  Medic.  Wissensch.,"  1878,  p.  482); 
the  chief  difficulty  for  this  form  of  medication  being  its  limited  solu- 
bility. Paracotoic  acid,  which  is  formed  from  paracotoin  by  the  addi- 
tion of  I  molecule  H2O,  was  experimented  with  by  Dr.  Burkart,  who 
found  it  to  possess  a  slight  aromatic  odor  and  taste,  to  irritate  but  little 
the  mucous  membranes  of  the  mouth,  to  somewhat  stimulate  the  secre- 
tion of  saliva,  and  to  produce  a  very  insignificant  irritation  on  wounds 
and  sores  ;  it  may  be  given  without  inconvenience  in  doses  of  0*5  to 
1*0  gram,  but  is  otherwise  physiologically  and  therapeutically  indifferent. 
