Beneficial effects of chaulmoogra in leprous neuritis

1- Attention should be given to the neural disturbances of leprosy, and they should be treated early because the grave sequelae in advanced cases cannot respond to any antileprosy medication we have at present. 2- The lesion s of moderate neuritis in lepromatous cases generally respond very poorly to sulfone medication, according to the experience of many leprologists, including myself. 3- This type of neuritis, according to my experience, can be arrested and made to regress in a high percentage of cases, even those which have not responded to prolonged sulfone medication, when given chaulmoogra in sufficient dosage (20-30 cc. weekly). 4- The symptoms which are most benefited are, among the subjective ones: numbness, cramps, pains, pruritus, hot sensation, and diminution of strength of the limbs, and among the objective ones: bullae, trophic ulcers, and in some cases mild and recent muscular atrophy. 5- It is suggested that, in similar moderate cases which do not respond to modern leprosy medication, a trial of the old chaulmoogra treatment be made, employing sufficient dosage.

Sodium hydnocarpate in leprosy, suggested improvements in administration

1) While the intravenous injection of sodium hydnocarpate may be admitted as the most effective means of administering hydnocarpus preparations, the blocking of veins has hitherto interfered with prolonged administration in this way.2) The sodium salts derived from a special fraction of H. wightiana and also the sodium salts of H. anthelmintica and alpina block the veins less than the salts from the whole H. wightiana oil.3) A new method of mixing the salts prepared from the whole oil of H. wightiana with blood before injection has received vein-blocking to a much more marked extent.4) Alternation of intravenous sodium hydnocarpate with subcutaneous infiltration of hydnocarpus oil with creosote is advised chiefly because of the haemolytic effect of the former preparations.

Blood cholesterol in cases of leprosy / ?

I-Blood cholesterol was estimated in 23 non-lepers and 250 patients suffering from leprosy. II-The mean average value in non-lepers was 163.44 mg per 100 c.c. of plasma with a standard deviation of 48.34. In the untreated cases of lepromatous leprosy the mean average value was 129.09 mg per 100c.c. of plasma with a standard deviation of 34.24. In the untreated cases of neural leprosy the mean average value was 143.08 mg with a standard deviation of 38.01. The average values in the treated lepromatous and neural cases did not difter significantly from the average values in the untreated cases in the same groups...

Influence of dehydrocholic acid (Decholin, N. N. R) on oral toxicity of chaulmoogra oil

Comparison of toxicity curves indicates that chaulmoogra oil given orally is appreciably more toxic when preceded by parenteral injection of dehydrocholic acid, presumably through promotion of intestinal absorption.