No living disease-germ ,can resist for more than a few hours the antiseptic power of essence of cinnamon; even its scent will kill them. The essence is as effective as corrosive sublimate. An in fusion of cinnamon is valuable in influ enza, typhoid fever, and cholera. Chant berland (Med. Age, Apr. 25, '94).
Cinnamic aldehyde, or cinnamic acid, has recently been employed as an anti septic in the various forms of tubercu losis, with encouraging results. Stevens ("Man. of Therap.," '94).
The oil of cinnamon is powerfully anti septic and may be used in dilute form in the dressing of wounds, and by injection in gonorrhcea; in the latter disease it acts best in the early stage. Cinnamic acid is also used for the same purpose. Hare ("Prac. Therap.," '94).
A solution of 1 part of cinnamic acid in from 10 to 20 parts of glycerin proves an excellent remedy in tuberculosis, par ticularly of joint-cavities; it may be injected into the joint, into the fungous mass, or into the gluteal muscles. Like wise it may be employed in pulmonary and intestinal tuberculosis. Leucocytosis begins in from an hour and a half to tivo hours after the injection, and reaches the maximum in eight hours. The leucocytes are increased. and there is no decrease in the red corpuscles or the hEemoglobin. Landerer (Therap. Monats., Feb., '94).
It is probable that oil of cinnamon cures consumption in two ways: In the early stage of catarrhal phthisis by so directly affecting the bacilli as to ,t.op
their growth; in cases farther advanced by only allowing organisms incapable of growth to pass along the bronchi, and thus prevent the infection of fresh lobules. In this u-ay the disease may be limited to small areas, where it can be dealt with by the vital processes of the body, and cut off from the system by the formation of fibrous tissue, and so cease to be an immediate source of danger. It is interesting to observe the order in which the symptoms subside: The expectoration and cough are the first to improve; then the temperature tends toward the normal; finally the weight begins to increase; and all these are accompanied by gradual diminution in the number of the bacilli in the sputum. Thompson (Brit. Med. Jour., vol. ii, '971.
In advanced cases of phthisis persoual results with cinnamic acid were distinctly unfavorable. In 12 cases not so far ad vanced, treated intravenously, for periods of from five to seven weeks, 3 died, 1 be came worse, 3 remained in niuch the same condition, and 5 were but slightly improved. Laryngeal complications were not benefited by the treatment. HEemop tysis seemed to be rendered worse. F. Frlinkel (Deutsche Archiv f. klin.
lxv, pts. 5 and 6, 1900).