Specialized Analgesic Effects of β-Hydroxy-α : β-Diphenylethylamine

Abstract

CLINICAL trials by other workers not yet reported have confirmed our original observation¹ that β-hydroxy-α: β-diphenylethylamine will relieve pain due to pressure on nerve in patients with inoperable tumours. This was the only type of pain included in our trials, and it is now clear that the compound has no universal analgesic action and cannot be used generally as a substitute for morphine. Tests using the method of Sivadjian², which measures the tolerance of rats to electric shocks, have now been carried out with morphine and the diphenylethylamine compounds the morphine-like properties of which we have described¹. The results, which will be reported in detail elsewhere, were entirely negative for the diphenylethylamine compounds; but analgesic activity was demonstrated in the hydrochlorides of morphine and pethidine, showing that the negative results were not due to the method used. The cause of the specific action of β-hydroxy-α : β-diphenylethylamine on nerve pressure pain awaits further pharmacological investigation.