The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1902-05-10
THE MOST EXPENSIVE DRUG.

One of the newest, most important
and most expensive drugs on earth is
adrenalin. Those who are not ply
sicians will be first interested in learn
ing that adrenalin costs 81 a grain
that is, $1,000 pound.
Now the gold that is coined into
beautiful yellow eagles is valued only
at about $215 pound. So adrenalin
is worth at least 80 times its weight
in double-eagles. A solution of adre-
nalin, one part to a thousand of the
solvent, sells for 81 fluid ounce. A
fluid ounce is two tablespoonsful SO,
if you do not really need adrenalin
you can buy with the money it costs
the best wine that ever graced the
table of a Lucullus.
So much for the sordid value in
money of this new and dear drug.
Much more important is the claim
made for it that its properties render
it valuable to humanity beyond all
price; indeed, it is confidently asser-
ted that this drug is an equal boon to
mankind with ether or quinine. The
discoverer of adrenalin declares that
by its use minor surgical operations
can be performed without the loss by
the patient of drop of blood.
Adrenalin's discovery is a Japanese
by birth, an American by adoption
and marriage, DR.. Jokichi Takamine.
DR.. Takamine claims that adrenalin
is the most powerful astringent, hem
ostatic and heart tonic known. If
you do not know what an astringent
is, bite an unripe pomegranate. Its
astringent effect will pucker up your
mouth.
Just so adrenalin Fuckers up the
walls of the smaller blood vessels so
that the blood cannot flow from them
even if their ends are severed. That
is what a "hemostatic" is, another of
the wise doctors big Latin words.
In surgical cases where chloroform
must be used it is of the greatest pos
sible value to know that adrenalin can
be injected into a vein and prevent
such heart failure as an overdose of
chloroform often causes. This action
of adrenalin, it is claimed, has been
proved by many experiments.
There is a peculiar disease named
after the man who first best described
it, "Addison's disease" 1t is accom-
panied by and ascribed to changes in
the suprarenal capsule, and is charac-
terized by the patients sudden and
fast growing weakness. Besides, his
body becomes mottled with spots
which range in color from light yell
low to slaty blue black. The strange
thing is that adrenalin has been found
most useful in the treatment of the
obscure Addison's disease. And even
the learned doctors don't know why.
DR.. Takamine and Henry George,
Jr., married sisters, the daughters of
Colonel Hatch, of New Orleans.
Takamine was one of the bright
z6fH5ad pe 10 STUDY uMbq@t q6t the NikaAd69e N6k sent
and that of New Japan. Takamine
studied Chemistry at the Univerity
of Glasgow, and has been in this
country six or seven years. His
home in New York has been at AIS
Central Park West. He and his
family are visiting Japan, but they
will return here in a few months.
This brainy Japanese is more ap-
preciated in England than in the land
of his adoption. En- route to Japan.
chemists, physicians, teachers and
scientists gave a banquet at the Grand
Midland Hotel to the man who has
found means so efficacious to pre-
vent even the peaceful shedding of
human blood. Besides adrenalin, DR..
Takamine has discovered most val
liable disastaste, a digester of starch,
which has many economic uses
NeW York World.