Synthalin, a guanidine derivative with insulin-like activity, was discovered by E. Franck in Minkowski's Breslau Clinic. Dr. Hirsch-Kauffman, assistant in the pediatric clinic of Breslau, is thus in a particularly favorable location to write authoritatively on this subject. This pamphlet contains, first, the report of experimental studies as to the toxicity of the newer synthalin preparation (synthalin B), and second, a discussion of the clinical usefulness of this preparation. Synthalin B was shown to be nontoxic in experiments on dogs of three weeks' duration, in doses of 1 mg. per kilogram of body weight given intravenously. There was no detectable evidence of injury to the liver, no increase of lactic acid in the liver or muscle and no abnormality in the content of glycogen in the liver and muscle, or of lactacidogen in the muscle.
The author has no hesitancy in using synthalin in the treatment of diabetic children, employing