REPORT OF A FEW CLINICAL CASES 
OF 
INFANTILE DIARRHOEA 
TREATED BY 
EUDOXINE. 
By M. ELEZARIAN, M. D.t 
Physician to tllhaiiS York. 
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NO, 43. liEPORT OF A FEW CLINICAL CASES 
OF INFANTILE DIARRH(E A 
TREATED BY EUDOXINE. 
By M. ELEZARIAN, M. D., 
PHYSICIAN TO NORTHEASTERN DISPENSARY, NEW YORK 
Some few months ago I came across a new 
preparation of bismuth known as eudoxine, 
which contains 52.9 per cent, of iodine and 
14.5 per cent, of bismuth. It is a reddish- 
brown powder, odorless and tasteless, em- 
ployed chiefly as an intestinal antiseptic. Be- 
ing desirous of getting some new antiseptic 
drug for the treatment of infantile as well as 
adult diarrhoeal cases, I was determined to 
give it a thorough trial. My object in report- 
ing the following cases is to bring eudoxine 
to the notice of those of us who are less familiar 
with its therapeutical effects. 
Case I.—A child, eight months of age, was 
brought to me suffering from diarrhoea of 
seven days’ duration; the character of the 
stools was of very strong odor, shreds of 
mucus and streaked with blood. Vomiting, 
abdomen distended, feverish and restless, and 
the skin hot. Small doses of calomel were 
given at the start, and after three days the 
little patient was brought to me about the same as before. I gave small doses of eudox- 
ine every three hours. I gave two-thirds of a 
grain. After 46 hours the distressing symp- 
toms were relieved and the stools returned 
more to their normal color and consistence, 
but there was still a strong odor to them. 
The child had vomited only once since her 
last visit to me. I ordered the mother to con- 
tinue the same strength of eudoxine, but one 
every four hours instead of three hours, and 
in three days the child was entirely cured, she 
again began to nurse and acted as well as 
ever. 
Case II.—The second case was that of a 
child three years of age, emaciated, suffering 
from malnutrition and malassimilation. In 
testinal disturbances, such as thin, yellowish 
colored liquid running from the bowels, con- 
taining undigested food and the odor very 
offensive. Vomiting, excessive thirst, no 
appetite, feverish and fretful, pulse feeble, 
high temperature showing the degree of sep- 
tic conditions in the alimentary tract; tongue 
dry and coated. My first aim being to clear 
the intestinal canal, I ordered small doses of 
calomel until ten grains were given, followed 
by some saline, and ordered to stop feeding 
the child. Next day I saw the case; she had 
improved somewhat only in the vomiting and 
in the color of the stools. I prescribed small 
doses of eudoxine, two grains every three 
hours. To my great surprise, after twelve 
grains were given I saw symptoms of improve- 
ment; the offensive odor of the stools had 
entirely disappeared, and the number of the 
discharges were considerably less, with more 
natural color to them. I believe such quick effects could have hardly been accomplished 
from bismuth alone. 
The most active ingredient entering into the 
composition of eudoxine is iodine, the disin- 
fecting and astringent as well as alterative 
properties of which on the mucous membrane 
are well known to all of 11s. Not wishing to 
take too much valuable time and space, I will 
not mention the details of my further experi 
ments. Altogether, I have used, up to the 
present writing, eudoxine in fifteen cases of 
diarrhoea, cases mostly in children, and the 
antiseptic effects of it in such cases have been 
marvelous. Preference should be given to 
eudoxine rather than bismuth subnitrate or 
carbonate, because we all know how poisonous 
bismuth is in large doses on the gastrointesti- 
nal mucous membrane, and very frequently 
we are afraid to give full doses of bismuth to 
children for this reason only. Although we 
have other intestinal antiseptics, such as salol 
and salicylates, etc., there is reason for caution 
in administering any of these drugs on account 
of their toxic effects. I found eudoxine very 
harmless and giving no cause for any alarm. 
I have given as much as a grain every hour to 
a child a year old without any alarming results. 
My impression is, from inquiring among my 
colleagues about eudoxine, that sometimes too 
small a dose is administered in certain cases, 
and, therefore, the result is disappointing to 
them, and they are apt to get easily dis- couraged, as we quite frequently do with any 
new drug before we are thoroughly convinced 
that we have given it a thorough, scientific and 
unhesitating trial. The proper and effective 
dose will be understood and appreciated only 
after careful study of each individual idksynr 
crasy and the disease. 
r>2 East Thirty-first Street.