Wilhelm Buschke

PRODUCTION OF CATARACT IN RATS BY BETATETRALOL AND OTHER DERIVATIVES OF NAPHTHALENE

SINCE Bouchards 1 discovery in 1886 that naphthalene produced cataract in rabbits, a large number of experimental papers have been published on the subject. Relatively few authors, however, have attempted to approach the mechanism of this production of cataract by studying the cataractogenic properties of chemically related substances. Kolinski 2 failed to produce cataract with nitronaphthalene, β-naphthol and anthracene. Salffner 3 had negative results with 1,5-dioxynaphthalene, 2,3-dioxynaphthalene and 2,7-dioxynaphthalene. He found the cataractogenic properties of naphthalene greatly enhanced by phthalic acid; however, control experiments with other agents which likewise produced renal damage led him to conclude that the effect was a result of damage to the kidney, producing a delayed excretion of naphthalene or a toxic derivative. Igersheimer and Ruben 4 reported negative results with both a- and β-naphthol, while van der Hoeve 5 produced cataracts in rabbits with β-naphthol. Jess 6 observed occasional fine reversible clefts and opacities in