Abstract
In a study of anthelmintics being carried out in this laboratory, it has been shown that certain resorcinols have marked anthelmintic properties, 1 hexylresorcinol having the most intense action of the normal alkyl resorcinols. Both hexylresorcinol and heptylresorcinol have been given in ascaris, hookworm, and trichuris infestations, hexylresorcinol being found to have the greatest efficiency. 2 The latter has now been given by us to over 2,000 cases controlled by the Stoll egg counting method, without any indication of toxic effects, and with an average efficiency of approximately 90% in ascaris, 85% in hookworm disease, and 55% in trichuriasis. 1 , 3 The lower resorcinols were found to be less active in vitro, resorcinol itself having relatively very little action. It was first shown by Johnson and Lane that the antiseptic action of resorcinol could be increased by the introduction of alkyl groups and that this antiseptic action increased with the length of the straight alkyl chain up through butyl resorcinol. 4 Leonard then showed that the antiseptic action of these alkyl resorcinols reached a peak with hexylresorcinol and that this member of the series had the least toxicity. 5 This idea of introducing alkyl groups into substances with known antiseptic action was recently taken up by Coulthard, Marshall and Pyman, who showed the variation of phenol coefficients in homologous series of phenols. 6 As with the resorcinols a similar increase in the phenol coefficient with an increase in molecular weight of the alkyl chain, the maximum being found in 5-n-amyl-o-cresol, was demonstrated.
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