The intravenous administration of acacia in shock, hemorrhage and allied conditions came into vogue especially during the World War. The objective evidences which would justify its use in patients and indicate its limitations are rather limited. Opinions of surgeons who have used it vary greatly as to its beneficial value, and there are those who regard it as actually harmful.1
Investigators are by no means agreed as to the true physiologic basis for the use of acacia. Bayliss2 asserts that it is chemically inert, and attributes the rise in blood pressure it produces in animals to its physical properties, i. e., to its behavior as a colloid. Erlanger3 and his associates, and Hurwitz4 also incline to this view. On the other hand, Zondek5 and Erich Meyer6 regard the calcium in the acacia responsible for any improvement in the circulation, and they report equally good