Hypodermatic Alimentation.
Caird (Edin. Med. Journal, September, 1893) reports a case of extreme weakness and emaciation due to malignant stricture of the esophagus, which was improved by intra-muscular injections of sterilized olive oil. In the course of a week from three to four ounces of oil were injected into the gluteal region. There was no pain or inconvenience caused by the injection. Sugar was occasionally combined with the oil. None of the skin punctures inflamed. There seemed no limit to the amount of oil which a patient can tolerate.
Yonkers, N. Y.
Cold Due to Bacteria.—Bacteria are likely to be blamed for all the ills that flesh is heir to. Prof. Schenck now maintains that what we call a “cold” is really due to these invisible pests. When one enters a cold room after being heated the bacteria in it flock to the warm body and enter by the open pores of the skin. Whatever may be said of this hypothesis he seems to have proved by experiment that bacteria in the neighborhood of a warm body move toward it. The confirmed smoker may derive some comfort from the fact that tobacco is inimical to them.—London Globe.
Recent Medicaments.
A Decade of New Remedies.—“There are at least one hundred new remedies of synthetic origin now in general use that were not known ten years ago.” So an American contemporary says; but we doubt if anyone can compile a list of one hundred. Who will try?—Chemist and Druggist (London), Sept. 30, 1893. We are not responsible for the original statement; but the invitation is general, and we are anxious that our English friend should have a prompt response from America, so here goes: Acetanilid, agathin, alpha-oxynaphthoic acid, alumnol, amyl-enhydrate, analgen, antipyrine, antiseptol, antispasmin, anti-thermin, aristol, asaprol, asepsin, benzanilide, benzonaphthol, benzosol, betol, bromal-hydrate, bromoform, bromol, chinoline, chloralamide, chloral-ammonium, chloralose, chlorphenol, creolin, cresalol, cresin, cresol, cresol-iodide, cresotic acid, diuretin, dulcin, ethyl bromide, ethyl chloride, eugenol, eugenol-acetamid, euphorin, europhen, exalgine, formalin, formanilid, gallacetophenone, gallobromol, gallanol, guaiacol-carbonate, homatropine, hydracetine, hydroquinone, hypnal, hypnone, ichthiol, iodol, iodopyrine, kairin, losophan, lysol, metaldehyde, methacetine, methylal, methyl chloride, methylene-blue, methylene chloride, methyl-violet, microcidine, naphthalene, naphthol, naphtopyrin, orexine, oxychinaseptol, paraldehyde, pental, phenacetine, phenetol, phenocoll, piperazine, pyridine, resorcin, resorcinol, saccharin, salacetol, salicylamide, saliphen, salipyrin, salocoll, salol, salophen, saprol, solutol, solveol, sozal, sozoiodol, styracol, sulphaldehyde, sulphaminol, sulphonal, tetronal, thalline, thermifugin, thilanin, thioform, thiol, thiophen, thioresorcin, thiosinamin, thymacetin, tolypyrin, tolysal, tribromphenol, trional, tumenol, uralium, urethane. This makes 114 new definite chemical products—and the list is not exhausted. It may also be urged that some of these products have been in use longer than ten years. This is the case only with naphthol, which was first recommended as an antiseptic in 1881; but we have omitted several legitimate new naphthol compounds, so that a balance is maintained. Other products, as acetanilid, guaiacol, anilin colors, pental, etc., were known as chemical products; but their medicinal application dates back less than ten years.
Referring to above list, a casual examination shows, that about thirty-three are patented products; between fifty-five and sixty bear proprietary “utility” names (including the thirty-three patented); and about thirty are absolutely free and non-proprietary. We may publish an accurate division with details on some future occasion.—Notes on New Remedies.
Llareta; A New Antigonorrhœic.—Dr. Infante (Aerztl. Rundschau). Llareta is the abbreviated name for Haplopapus Llareta, a plant growing abundantly in Chili, and with which the author claims to have obtained a radical cure within ten to fifteen days in every case of gonorrhœa in which it was tried. The following is his formula: