A Physiologic and Clinical Study of Boldine JOLDO fs an evergreen shrub native to Chilly and it. was.frst-described by Molino, inthe yar 1782, under the name of peamus bole. It was successively named rua fragrns, by Ruiz and Pave; Deumus.fragrans, by Persoon; boldea Feagrans, by Tosses; boldon. fragrans, by Enlicher, Lindley, and Claudio. Gay; ‘while M. i. Ballon, in his history of plants, ives it the name of peu bold, which ‘ame now is the accepted one Boldo was brousht to France in 1868-9 4 result of the discovery tat it had certain curative properties in diseases ofthe liver; properties ve have often mentioned. ‘The’ active principle of boldo, boldine, veas discovered by Ed. Bourgoin and Verne, and was studied oat by Molino, Rui, and Pavoo, by. Jusieu, Endlicher, Lindley, (€.Gay, de Candale, Blo, Laborde, and other. oldine is derived from the leaves of boldo. "They ate sosrly pulverize, then ‘exhausted by am infusion of water to which i added 30 Gram of acetic acd er ilo gram of material. The Giteted lguid is then evaporated, in a waterbath, t0 the consistency of honey, This liquid is acid land contains, beddes the alkaloid, some fromatic matter and calcium aceate, ‘which are gotten rid of by various manip Tations, the inal result being «strongly alkaline residue o! 8 peculiar edoe. "This is impure boldine in solution. It is puri fied by.» number of precpitations from solution in water aiulated with acetic ci, Precipitation being effected with ammonia, Which must be added cautiously, because boldine is soluble an exces of the alka ‘This product, which is almost pure, is then washed upon a Berecus ltr with Usted water tl the last trace of amc {s removed, then dred. away, under'er- luson of ‘air and. ight under “sue las bel which hols some quiclime und ‘monohydrated sulphuric acid oldine is an alkaloid hich is only slightly soluble in water. It's vey soluble in alcoho, chlorotorm, and in concentrated alkalis, and slightly soluble in beazol. Tt Combines realy with acids to form salu tion which are neutral to itmes paper, and which precipitate with ammonia with the double eof mercary and fotastun, and lve to fodiaed water a maroon-brown predpitte. Concentrated strc and sul- Dhurke acids color it red immediately. It forms a white powder, slightly yellowish. In spite ofits very sight slubityin water, boldine communicates to it an alkaline ‘action and a decidedly biter taste Ue wil be a matter of interest to our readers to lar that bldine hydrobromie, 4 pare watersouble salt of boidine, has ‘een produced in the laboratories of The ‘ote Allaoidal Company—Eo ‘Physiologically, Deldine acs as an ex- citant of the digeaive functions and ofthe biliary secretion. I erally the liver on which it action is specially localised, While at the same time facts equally on the digestive functions. Moreover, beyond its direct action on the stomach, boldine is essentially a physiologic meticaent, for, ting endowed with such great eficacy 08 the livers functions, it st. contbute strongly to heighten the digestive functions ty the fact alone of its dec action on the™ FOREIGN GLEANINGS liver without calling inthe ai of the stom- ach’s action indirect, From the physiologic study of Dr Laborde on boldo, it was learned that this substance exerss, onthe nervous system, ‘8 hypnotic action primarily, with all it ‘consequent momentary suspension of con- scious function! actions of life and its Felatios. ‘This action is accompanied by ‘certain degree of general anesthesia and that of some of the senses, especially of those of audition, and the abolition of the ocuo- palpebral reflex We have stated that, from a physiologic view, boldine increases the seertion of the bile,’ But froma therapeutic point of view, the action of beldine ie not Limited to that alone. Its action is wider and better than merely activating the biliary secretion, for it really acts ia the manner of a specific regulator of the vers functions, in that it leven regenerate, 40 far as possible, those hepatic cells which have not as yet de ‘generated iremediaby. ‘The action of boldo on the liver, known for a long time in Chili, was confirmed in Paris and in Vichy, principally by Prof. Graber, who ostained with it remarkable results in hepate congestion and functional roubles of that organ in hepatic colic, in billary lithiasis, in chronic’ hepatitis, in billows affections, and in eachetias of pa- ludie origin, and after long residence’ in hot. climates "Through the same action which boldine exerts on the liver, it also has a stimulating effect on the entire economy. Its curative effects in infarmatien, in congestion and functional troubles of the liver, in tilly lithiasis, in henatic colic and,’ above all, In chronic hepatitis, are at present so well known and wel defined that therapeutists fof modern times would not hesitate to class it as the most energetic. cholagon. tis a most valuable medicament in the treatment of diseases of the liver and of the digestive apparatus. AS an aid to the functions of nuttin, it canbe prescribed for along period without inconvenience, because it offers the grest advantage of not iritating the digestive tract a8 quinine would From Dujardin-Beaumetz we know that Doldine increases the elimination of urea jn a notable degree, and that it especially augments the secretion of the bile without any action on the dreulation, the tempers: ture or the quality of the’ urine. That which gives to boldine a place by itself apart in therapeutics, is just this property that it does not confine itself toa mere augmentation of the biliary secretion, but acts, in addition, in the way of a veritable specific on the liver, modifying. rapidly its pathologic condition and. changing it fradualy toa normal one. This first effect of holdine, that is, this considerable increase of the biliary secretion, determines, a5 a secondary consequence, the decrease ‘ofthe hepatic congestion, which disappears, little by little, asthe functional disturbances ofthe liver diminish and give place to nor ‘mal functioning. In his clinical therapeutic lectures, Dr. Dujardin-Beaumetz advises boldine in bil ary lithiasis and in hepatic congestion, ‘The various authorities allow us, therefore, to assign definitly to boldine a place apart asa sureand eficacious remedy in affections of the liver, in hepatic colics, and in the hepatitis of hot climates. Besides its speciic action on the liver, Doldine exercises alo & favorable influence fon the functions of the digestion, acting 3s ‘tonic bitter principle. This, however, we Think, is due, above all things, to the i provement of the digestive tract consequent ‘upon the principal action of boldine onthe liver. "The best mode of administering boldine fs inthe form of granules dosed at 1 mil gram. The usual dose varies between 8 Sind 8 milgrams-—and ought not to be, st the start, more than 6 granules—in twenty~ foue hours, but which may be increased to 10 within that period. In the treatment ‘of afections ofthe liver and ofthe intestinal ‘anal, this dosage should be suicient for the twenty-four hours, ie, it should be riven fractionized at 2 granules ata tine ‘Managed wisely and perseveringly, bold ine proves itself, in the hands of intligest practitioners, as a specific in the affections Df the liver of so much vale thatthe other remedies in vogue in the same affections ar, without boldine, of very limited value Toldine is an antidote in disease of theFOREIGN GLEANINGS 745, liver, as quinine is an antidote in fevers Revue Therapewtique des Alcaloides, March, 1912, PASSAGE OF BILE INTO THE ABDOMI- ‘NAL CAVITY Dr. E. Von Kutschera reported a case of the escape of ile into the abdominal cavity without perforation of the bile passages, to the Gesellschaft der Aerzte, fof Vienna, a its sean of March 15, 1912. ‘This condition was found ina man, 22 years of age, who was. brought tothe hospital with a diagnosis of appendicitis His temperature wis 365° C. (976° F.), land pulse, 47. On hparotomy being made, bilious fuid was found in the abdominal cavity, but "perforation of the. biliary passages could not ke discovered anywhere "The bacterium coli was found in the Aid ‘The bile must have exuded through the sound wall of the gall-bladder during the Septic stage of the fuid. ‘Ten eases of this kind are recorded in “medical Uterature; in five, the persons died. Bradycardia already was presett in the present case before icterus could be detected.—Wiener Medis, Wochenschr, 1912, cl. 8 F. Tremoliers, ofthe Hépital Beaujon, studied out the origi of cas of phlegmasia alba dolens occurtg in a young female of tuberculous antecelents (repeated bron- chit, conalgia). The right thigh was ‘wollen and the collateral venous erculation was quite considerable, and the thigh was ery painful Te wes, therefore, clear case ‘of phlebitis. On examining the patient a small superial cavity was discovered in the right apex of the supraspinows fossa ‘The patient alo presented signs of chor- css, the characteratic color of the skin, fertracardiae murmurs, rattling noses in the right (upper) juular angle, and so forth, “The question was whether the phlebitis with which this patient was affected was of Chloroie or of tuberculous origin. ‘The ‘existence of chronic noninfectious phlebiti which is due to some physical modiications (of the blood or to abundance of hemato- blasts is very much disputed. What we Inad here was rather a tuberculous phlebitis; not one that is due to a Koch bacillus (a variety well studied out by Hirtz and his ‘which is attenuated, insidious, ‘no rise to emboli, but a phlebitis of the third period, due to microbes of a secondary Infection coming from the pulmonary cavity in this patient. A blood-culture,further- ‘more, showed the existence of staphylococel jn the blood, This laboratory research confirmed the clinical diagnosis —La Quin- ‘zine Théropeatique, March, 1942, p. 32 “TABAKOLOGIA MEDICINALIS” This is a literary study about tobacco {nits medical respect written by Dr. Johann Breslerand published by Marhold at Halle. ‘The first part of this publication isoued, which i: planned on a large scale as a Collection of medical literature concerning the effects of tobacco. in physical and psychical respects, is nota polemic against the use of this plant, but occupies itself ‘with the hygienic consequences of its use. ‘The theme of this number concerns itself ‘with peychical and nervous diseases of the ‘yes, ears, blood-vessels, and heart, also those ofthe digestive canal arising from the tse of tobacco, being illustrated by com- prehensive histories of eases. —-Dr. V. Hor- arka, in Wiener Medic. Wochenschr, 1912, cok 80. YOHIMBIN POR INCONTINENCE AND 'STRANGURY Fritsch (in Deutsche Med. Wochenschr, IOI, No. 27), writes as follows: There are certain disturbances of the urogenital system which are from a defective func- toning of the bladder-musculature and its fadnexa, and which lead to incontinence of the urine, to strangury, and so forth, which disturbances have hitherto found but litte attention. The urogenital apparatus forms, with respect to its innervation, a con nectedly complete whole. This being so, Fritsch made use of yohimbin Spiegel), which hitherto has been used in impotence tainly due to other ailments of the uro-