The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-08-26
CRUSHED ANTS
A NEW MEDICINE
THE FORMIC ACID OF THE INSECT
A VALUABLE TONIC.
It Arguments Muscular Strength and Re
sistence to Fatigue-French Expert
ments that Seem to Promise Some
thing Of Value.
Translation in the Literary Digest.

Translation In the Literary Digest.
Having thoroly exploited the curative
apparently turned to the ant. The lat
ter, like the former, owes its medicinal
virtues to the formic acid that it con-
tains. Indeed, this acid owes it's name
to the ant (Latin formica). But while
the living bee is able to administer a
hypodermic injection of the drug, the
ant must be killed in order to get it.
French Investigations, formic acid is
likely to prove valuable as stimulant
and tonic, and the high regard in which
ants were held by the ancients as
mediine would seem to be justified. Says
a contributor to Cosmos:
"The pharmacopeia Of the ancients
borrowed from the animal kingdom
number of medicaments- serpents flesh,
snails, ants oil-for the most part now
quite forgotten.
"The work of Brown-Sequard opened
the way to research which has justified
the use of certain of these odd medl-
cines, and has given plausible explana-
ton Of some OF them and OF their mode
of action.
"We now extract from the thyroid
gland and the suprarenal capsules, &C
| tive drugs that must be handled with
great prudence, and altho the modern
! pharmacist has neglected to put the
! flesh of, the serpent on his list, the
scientists of the Pasteur institute make
very active serum with it's venom.
, "The secretions of certain animals,
such as musk and castor, have kept
their place in modern formularies.
"The ancients utilized crushed ants
as topical application, and also in
ternally, especially in cases OF peroph-
eral paralysis Of the limbs. In some
countries the peasants simply plunge
1S,,,I ;r44 ont
Germany ants are sometimes used IN
general baths, in local vapor baths and
fomentationss, for paralysis, rheumatism
VFormic acid is violent caustic,
acting perhaps with even greater ener-
gy than nitric acid itself; this action
could probably be utilized in the eau
sometimes used on inveterate ulcers,
whose cure it seems to hasten.
"Formic acid enters into divers prep
the acoustic balm Of Murderer, the
water of magnanimity,' etc., and even
into several preparations used in Ger
many at the present day.
According, to the investigations OF
M. Clement Of Lyons, formic acid IS a
very important drug. It augments con,
siderably the muscular strength and
the resistance to fatigue. Its
use causes to disappear the sensation
Of fatigue in the limbs, often felt on
awakening in the morning.
These statements have probably only
} ported them by experiments with Mo-
; Years We u '6 The result showed
that after the use Of formic acid the
: subject was able to furnish ten periods
Of work instead of five, and to raise
weight 479 times instead of 232, MAX
} ing an expenditure Of 1O6 kilogramme-
, the formic acid made the man do i've
times more work than his normal
, amount. No known substance has hith-
erto given such an excess of energy.
"This note Of NJ Clement brought out
; another from NJ. L. Garrigue, who has
been studying for several years the. in
r fuence Of formic acid on the organism:
lime instead of the pure acid. He first
injected solutions into the. veins and
cellular tissue Of rabbits
after which he did not hesitate to ex-
pertinent on himself. The re-.
suits were rapid-greatly increased ap.
petite and cerebral and physical activ-
."The first effect of the formiates,
when injected or absorbed by the stom-
ach, is to lower the arterial tension.
The subject soon feels more steady, his
thoughts are lighter. his nights better,
his appetite good. What IS
: the actionY It remains still somewhat
obscure. M. Garrigue says: 'The for
mic salts do not act by their mass, but
!, by the impulse that they give to the
: Exchanges: they remain in the organ
ism, so that their effects not only accu-
5 mulate but are infinitely multiplied.
: IA recent communication from M.
: Huchard to the Academy Of Medicine
; would appear to confirm these conclu-
!, sions. The facts, however, are
: not yet well established, despite these
3 Investigations. We must still have con-
! firmatoTy experiments, but as the drug
l is not poisonous these will be easy to
:, carry out. It used to be said, Go to
the ant, thou sluggard!' Now we mugt
I say, 90 sluggard, eat ants; thou shait
), thus incorporate their courage, thei1
g resistance to fatigue and-who knows
4 perhaps their spirit Of economy!