Action of Cardiac Stimulants in Circulatory Failure Due to Diphtheria

An important group of drugs that is always in demand in cases of emergency is the class known as the cardiac stimulants. It is true that they form rather an indefinite group and include drugs that have no direct effect on either heart or blood vessels, their only possible influence on the circulation being an indirect one. Perhaps those which are mentioned most commonly in this connection as being useful in cases of circulatory failure in acute infections are strychnin, camphor, epinephrin, digitalis, pituitary preparations and caffein. In this group should probably be included also the various solutions that are used for intravenous injections, such as Ringer's solution, and acacia and glucose solutions. It is true that some of the drugs named have been to a greater or less extent discredited for this purpose, and not so much reliance is placed on them now as there was some years ago.