Habitual Use of Barbituric Acid Derivatives in India

or luminal (di-phenyl-barbiturie acid), (7) sodium luminal, (8) phanodorn (cyclo-hexenyl-ethyl-barbituric acid), (9) evipan (N. methyl-cyclo-hexenyl-methylbarbituric acid), (10) sodium evipan, (11) pentobarbitone (ethyl-methyl-butyl-barbituric acid) and (12) its sodium salt, nembutal, (13) ipral (calcium ethyl iso-propyl-barbituric acid), (14) allonal (a combination of allyl-iso-propyl-barbituric acid with amidopyrin), (15) veramon (a combination of veronal with amidopyrin), (16) somnifain> (a combination of dial and amidopyrin), (17) cibalgin (a combination of dial and amidopyrin), (these last four all produce a reddishbrown colour in urine on account of the presence of amidopyrin), (18) gardenal (phenyl-ethyl-barbituric acid), (19) sodium hebaral (sodium salt of hexylbarbituric acid), (20) beatol (a proprietary preparation said to be a mixture of veronal with extracts of valerian and jusquiame), (21) quadronox (a proprietary preparation said to contain 80 per cent veronal with phenacetin, phenazone, etc.; urine may be coloured reddish-brown from the phenazone present), (23) amytal (iso-amyl-ethyl-barbiUiric acid), (24) pernocton (2 butyl-brom-ethyl-barbituric acid), (the sodium salts of both these are used by the intravenous route to produce anaesthesia), (25) nastal (iso-propyl-bromallyl-barbituric acid), and (26) sandoptal (iso-butylallyl-barbituric acid). The addition of alkyl or aryl radicles of higher molecular weight than ethyl adds to the toxicity of the substance, thus luminal, dial, proponal, gardenal, soneryl and nembutal are all more toxic than veronal. Launoy and Contiere, taking veronal as unity, have found that the relative toxicity for dial is 3.1, for soneryl 4.7, and for both amytal and nembutal 10.1. It is therefore safer to use for hypnotic purposes barbitone or its sodium salt than the more complex derivatives. Although these drugs as a rule are not very toxic and the average minimum fatal dose for barbitone (veronal) is 3 to 4 grammes (45 to 60 grains) deaths have occurred from much smaller doses, e.g., 1 gramme or 15 grains given in one dose. On account of their easy availability they have been used for suicidal purposes. The combination of a barbituric acid compound with