Introduction
Among the recently developed inhibitors of cholesterol biosynthesis, the compound, p-(β-diethylaminoethoxy) phenyl-1-(p-tolyl)-2-(p-chlorophenyl) ethanol, or triparanol (Mer-29), has received prominent attention from the medical profession because of its potent effect in reducing elevated blood cholesterol levels and the relative safety of its use. The basic physiological and biochemical mechanisms of its action, together with the results of clinical observations on treated patients, were discussed in a conference of representatives from leading medical centers in December, 1959.1 At that time no complications had been observed in acute and chronic toxicity studies, except for a decrease of the lipid content in the fascicular and reticular zones of the adrenal gland. In April, 1961, Achor, Winkelmann, and Perry2 published a preliminary report of thinning and loss of hair and ichthyotic changes of the skin in two patients with hypercholesteremia who had received triparanol for several months.