A QUANTITATIVE COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT ANALEPTICS

¹ Department of Pharmacology, Oxford

The substances picrotoxin, strychnine, ephedrine, benzedrine, cardiazol and coramine have been compared for (a) toxicity in mice, (b) power to awaken mice narcotised with nembutal in sublethal doses, (c) power to antagonize the toxic action of nembutal, (d) convulsive and emetic action in pigeons, (e) power to stimulate respiration in cats and mice depressed with nembutal, (f) power to increase the carotid sinus reflex.

In relation to toxicity benzedrine has the greatest awakening power. Picrotoxin and cardiazol are the only substances which antagonize the toxic action of nembutal. Picrotoxin, cardiazol and ephedrine will all cause vomiting in pigeons. Benzedrine and ephedrine are excellent respiratory stimulants in mice, similar in potency to lobeline. Compared with lobeline the others are almost of no value. The medullary stimulants increase the carotid sinus reflex when this is depressed, but the doses required are too large to make this action useful in therapeutics.