Late Toxic Results, Including Dermatitis Exfoliativa, From "Slim" (Dinitrophenol)

The pharmacologic actions of the nitrophenols¹have been known since 1885, when it was found that these compounds possess the property of elevating the metabolic rate in animals. However, the effect of this chemical group on human beings was not generally recognized until the late war. At this time Perkins'²investigations on munitions workers in France focused attention on its many toxic reactions. The therapeutic possibilities of these chemicals apparently were not utilized until 1933, when Cutting, Mehrtens and Tainter³introduced dinitrophenol as a treatment for some forms of obesity. They were fully aware of the many potential dangers of this drug and in their original series of cases encountered only mild and transient reactions, perhaps because of the conservative dosage and stringent observation. From the available reports of toxic manifestations to Jan. 1, 1936, it appears that the early reactions, except in the occasional hypersensitive individual,