Evening star., 1938-04-10
REMEDY IS FOUND
FOR MUSCLE ILLS
Quinine and Opposite Drug
Held Aids to Myotonia,
Myasthenia Victims.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY,
Stan Correspondent of The Star

otan correspondent OF The Star.
NEW YORK, April e-Victims of
two Of the strangest of human mala-
dies-myotonia and myasthenia grav-
is-can find relief through a discov-
cry announced before the American
College of Physicians here today by
DR.. Foster Kennedy. head of the neu-
rological staff of Bellevue Hospital.
Quinine sulphate. in five grain cap
sules taken from two to five times
day, proves an almost perfect antidote
for the first and prostigmine, drug
antagonistic to quinine in almost all
its behavior, presents attacks of the
other condition
Like the two drugs which alleviate
them, myotonia and myasthenia are
antagonistic conditions affecting in
different ways the use of the voluntary
muscles. Myotonia, usually found in
athletic types with bulging muscles, is
a constantly recurring muscle cramp
which attacks the whole body The
victim is helpless. Often the attacks
are as painful as the familiar cramp
in the leg at night In extreme cases
the condition attacks the breathing
muscles and the victim may be suf-
focated.
myotonia patient is always in
pitiful condition. When he tries to
make any movement, such as closing
or opening the fingers, sticking out the
tongue, rising from chair, etc, he
must start slowly and painfully to
overcome the cramp After few
minutes of constant warming up" he
usually is able to accomplish the move
ment as we'll as normal person, but
as soon as he relaxes the muscles be-
come cramped again and the same
practice must be gone through for the
next movement.
Nerve Supply Normal.
II such a person wants to cross a
street after standing on a corner, for
example, 1t often is necessary to run
up and down the sidewalk few times
before taking the risk. The cause of
the condition, DR.. Kennedy said, is un-
known. 1t can be demonstrated that
the muscles themselves are not af-
fected and their nerve supply is nor
NAL. The trouble is believed to lie in
some way in the functions between
nerves and muscles which must be in
perfect condition in order to permit
voluntary movements.
Acting on the theory that these
functions might be affected by some
alkaloid Dr. Kennedy started out with
a list of 100 of these poisons and gave
them Systematically to myotonia, one
after the other There was no result
until the 31st was reached. This hap
pened to be quinine. The results were
startling. The perpetually muscle
bound person could make any move
ment just as well as a normal individ-
ual
Quinine, DR.. Kennedy stressed. is
not a cure. The moyotonic is bound to
make use of the capsules as long as he
lives, just as diabetic person must
make constant use of insulin.
Myasthenia gravis is just the op-
posite in its effects The muscles can
not be moved because of an apparent
extreme weakness. Here again some
dimculty with the neuromuscular
functions is suspected, for the muscles
themselves appear normal. A myas-
thenic may topple over on the street
because the leg muscles will not sup
port his weight. The muscles cannot
become cramped because they are too
facid to give even the normal resist.
ance.
Reverses Hold True.
DR.. Kennedy tried out prostigmine
because Of its well known antagonism
to quinine and found that it worked
just as notably with myasthenics as
the opposite drug with myotonics.
Moreover. a very serious attack of mus
Gle cramp could be brought about by
dosing myotonic with prostigmine
and . myasthenic could be thrown into