Study of 2.4-D, a Herbicidal, from Medical Standopoint

I. Clinical Study: A Case of Acute Intoxication with 2. 4-D

Abstract

2.4-D, a herbicidal imported from U. S. A., is said to be non-poisonous. However, the authors recently experienced a case of acute intoxication with 2.4-D after its oral intake.
The patient is 24 year old single woman. She took about 15g. of 2.4-D as dissolved in water. Soon her candition became serious and she was admitted to this hospital. She was rescued from critical condition by non-specfic treatment and discharged from hospital after about one month.
Principal symptoms and findings were: (1) pain in the throat, burning sensation behind the sternum and in the epigastrium, abdominal pain, tenderness of the upper abdomen and around the navel, positive Mendel sign (2) positive occult blood in the feces and gastric contents, (3) proteinuria with erythrocytes and leukocytes in the urine, pain in the bladder region after miction, (4) headache, dizziness, Kernig's sign, stiff neck, (5) chest-pain, persistent small bubbling rales, and fever, (6) low blood pressure.
Observed symptoms and findings suggest that 2.4-D has poisonous effect on various systems, gastrointestinal, urinary, central nervous, respiratory, and circulatory.
The authors then carried out histo-pathological experiment on animals, record of which will be presented in forthcoming communications.