Therapeutics.—Spasmodic asthma and bronchitic dyspnon may be relieved by the fluid extract of grindelia in doses of to 1 fluidrachm, every three or four hours, given preferably in a little sweet ened water or milk. In recurrent asthma it often affords prompt relief, but it does not prevent the return of the paroxysms. It is also beneficial in spasmodic coughs, pertussis, chronic bronchitis, and in hay fever. The leaves of grindelia soaked in a solution of nitrate of potash and dried may be burned or smoked, and the fumes inhaled.
In emphysema grindelia robusta fa cilitates the respiration and expectora tion. In simple cardiac hypertrophy and in dilatation it has all the advan tages of digitalis without any of its drawbacks. It relieves pulmonary con gestion and the palpitation associated with cardiac hypertrophy, emphysema, asthma, and incipient tuberculosis. The following formula is useful: 11 Tincture of grindelia, 6 parts. Tincture of convallaria, 2 parts. Tincture of squill, 1 part.
Fifteen drops three times a day. Huchard (Jour. de Med. de Paris, No. 16, '9S).
In chronic cystitis it gives relief by stimulating the mucous membrane of the bladder. The fluid extract diluted with water (1 to 10) is a very valuable lotion in poison-oak or poison-ivy eruption, and in pruritic skin affections.
GITAIAC.—Guaiac-wood (guaiaei lig num, U. S. P.) is the heart-wood of Guaiacum (Lignum vitce). It is employed as scrapings or chips, of olive, brown, or yellow color, very hard, and having a faint, aromatic odor and a pungent acrid taste. It enters into the composition of the compound syrup of sarsaparilla. The wood furnishes a resin (resina guaiaci, U. S. P.) which is brittle and breaks with a bright, lustrous fract ure. Its odor and taste are the same as that of the wood. Its Rowder is grayish, but becomes green on exposure to the air. It is soluble in alcohol, ether, and alka line solutions, but very slightly so in water. 0 uaiac resin is an ingredient of Plummer's pills (pilul antimonii corn positm, U. S. P.).
Preparations and Doses. — Resin of guaiae, 10 to 30 grains.
Tincture of guaiac, to 1 drachm. Tincture of guaiac, ammoniated, '/, to 1 drachm.
Physiological taken internally causes a sense of warmth in the stomach, and increases the secretion of the digestive fluids. In large doses it gives rise to gastrointestinal irritation and produces active purgation. A well marked rash, attended with great itch ing and resembling that of copaiba, some times follows the use of guaiac.
I3est use of guaiac is as a laxative or purgative. In one ease in which this
drug was prescribed a well-marked rash, resembling that of copaiha, covered the arms and legs of the patient. It was accompanied by intense itching, and dis appeared upon the withdrawal of the drug. William (Medical Bulle tin, Jan., '91).
Guaiac possesses none of the proper ties which are essential to its use as a laxative; the dose required to produce the desired effect is too large to be safe or agreeable. and the action of the drug in this direction altogether too uncertain.
Conibemale (Rev. Inter. de Med. et de Chir., Feb. 25, '96).
The reaction of leucocytes to guaiac depends on the oxidizing effect of nucleo proteids in the pus-cells; 'possibly due to a fermentation which could not be sepa rated from the other substances... The nucleoproteids of the liver, spleen, and thymus are all capable of breaking down hydrogen peroxide, but do not turn guaiae tincture blue. Only one tissue of all those examined was able to produce the same reaction with guaiac as pus, namely: bone-marrow, leultremic blood, even in the smallest quantities, in marked eases turns guaiac tincture blue. Bran denburg (Mtinchener med. Woeh., Feb. 0, 1900).
Therapeutics.—Guaiac given early in a 30-grain dose, either in powder or in emulsion with the white of egg, will often abort an attack of acute tonsillitis or of acute pharyngitis. Rheumatism of subacute or chronic type, gout, and rheu matic pharyngitis may be relieved by the administration of either the tincture or the ammoniated tincture of guaiac; but, on account of its disagreeable character, other remedies are preferred.
Guaiae is valuable in many gouty and rheumatic conditions. It possesses the following advantages: 1. It is innocu ous, and may be taken for an indefinite length of time. 2. It possesses consider able power, hut less than colchicum, in directly relieving patients suffering from gouty inflammation of any part; it may be given whenever there is but little fever. 3. Taken in the intervals of gouty attacks, it has a considerable power of averting their occurrence; in fact, it is a very powerful prophylactic. 4. It does not seem to lose its prophylactic power by long-continued use. 5. There are a few patients who cannot continue its use. Guaiacum does not affect the for mation of uric acid, but acts directly on the kidneys as a stimulant, enabling them to get rid of any accumulation in the tubules, thus preventing absorption from then, into the blood. Sir Alfred Garrod (Med. Record, July 4, '96).