A phyto-pharmacological study of a menotoxin or menstrual toxin
Macht, D. I.; Lubin, D.
Experimental Biology and Medicine 20(5): 265-266
1923
ISSN/ISBN: 1535-3702 DOI: 10.3181/00379727-20-125Document Number: 517265
Macht and Livingston have already shown in connection with a study of cocain and its derivatives that various drugs affect animal and cell protoplasm very differently. Thus it was shown that while cocain is very toxic for animal tissues, it is comparatively little toxic for plant protoplasm. On the other hand, sodium benzoate which is practically non-toxic for animal tissues was found to be extremely toxic for the root of lupinus albus. These observations suggest the idea that plant cells may be much more sensitive to some animal toxins than animal cells or tissues might be. This idea was a starting point for the present investigation. Shick has recently revived or called attention to the ancient popular belief as to the contaminating or deleterious effects of the touch of women at the time of menstruation. He performed a few experimnts on cut flowers seemingly corroborating this idea. The present authors decided to investigate this whole question in a more scientific and accurate way by the use of whole living plant organisms and not cut flowers, inasmuch as the latter method is unreliable for obvious reasons. The procedure was very much the same as in the study of Macht and Livingston on cocain and its derivatives.