Wirtschafter and Widmann1 reported the parenteral use of histidine, sodium ascorbate and ascorbic acid in the treatment of peripheral vascular diseases. They stressed the rapidity of action of this medication in relief of pain in thromboangiitis obliterans, arteriosclerosis obliterans, and diabetic gangrene of the extremities. The effective agent was histamine, which was formed in vivo by the decarboxylation of histidine. In order to obviate the necessity of repeated injections of these substances, we decided to employ histamine in a retarding menstruum. When histamine is injected in man, it acts as a vasodilator of the capillaries and arterioles.
The preparation of the menstruum was essentially that advocated by Code and Varco,2 with slight modifications. Our best and most widely used mixture contains 3 per cent yellow wax in sesame oil.3 Each cubic centimeter of menstruum contains 0.5 mg. of histamine base, as the diphosphate. The effect of retarded