LAETRILE INTOXICATION - REPORT OF A FATAL CASE

PROPONENTS and users of Laetrile (amygdalin) claim that the substance has no toxic side effects, even in large doses. FDA warnings that amygdalin may be toxic1 have been overlooked2 in the face of the controversy regarding the use of the drug as a therapeutic agent for cancer.1,3 4 5 In the case reported below, lack of knowledge of the potential toxicity of amygdalin on the part of the user led to its accidental ingestion by a small child, and contributed to a delay in the treatment of cyanide poisoning, from which the child eventually died. Case Report A healthy 11-month-old girl accidentally. © 1979, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.