IOSALINE
Report of the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry
Iosaline is a rheumatism remedy for external application. In view of the misleading and unwarranted claims which are made for it, the Council voted that Iosaline be refused recognition and recommended publication of the Committee’s report which appears below.
W. A. Puckner, Secretary.
COMMITTEE’S REPORT
The following sweeping but rather indefinite claims are made for Iosaline.
“Iosaline is a penetrator and overcomes the objectionable escharotic properties of Iodine; it is readily absorbed and may be used without discomfort or discoloration.”
“The strong analgesic properties of Iosaline make it especially useful in controlling pain in cases of Neuralgia, Rheumatism, Gout, and Arthritis Deformans.”
As there are few, if any, known iodin compounds which are “readily absorbed” through the skin and which will not at the same time produce discoloration or discomfort, it was thought worth while to take up the examination of Iosaline. The results of this examination are reported by the Chemical Laboratory of the Association as follows:
Laboratory Report:—Iosaline is advertised by the Iosaline Company of New York, as a remedy for the treatment by external application, of rheumatism, gout, neuralgia, pneumonia and numerous other diseases. Concerning its composition the following statements are made:
“A transparent, non-staining gelatinoid of combined iodine with menthol and methyl salicylate.
“Alcohol 070. per cent.
“Chemical tests demonstrate the preparation to contain 5 per cent. of iodine.”
The placing of a cipher before the percentage figure for alcohol, though perhaps accidental and not meant to mislead, might cause a hasty or careless reader to understand 7 per cent. or .07 per cent., instead of 70 per cent., as the proportion of alcohol present.
The preparation examined was a very pale yellowish, translucent solid having a strong odor of methyl salicylate and a fainter odor of menthol. A package sold for 2 ounces contained 51.7 gm. Qualitative tests indicated the presence of alcohol, an iodid, menthol, methyl salicylate, potassium, sodium, combined fatty acids and a trace of glycerin. Thyroid extract was not found. Quantitative examination indicated the following approximate composition for Iosaline:
Alcohol (by weight) | 48.05 | per cent. |
Menthol | 2.07 | per cent. |
Methyl salicylate | 10.25 | per cent. |
Potassium iodid (4.25 per cent. iodin) | 5.55 | per cent. |
Soap | 12.68 | per cent. |
Glycerin | a trace | |
| Water and undetermined matter to make 100 per cent. | ||
Iosaline, therefore, appears to be a solidified, watery-alcoholic solution of soap containing potassium iodid, menthol and methyl salicylate. Physiologic tests carried out by rubbing the preparation on the skin and afterward testing the saliva and the urine for an iodid indicated that none of the potassium iodid is absorbed. Since Iosaline is claimed to contain 70 per cent. of alcohol and 5 per cent. of iodin, the alcohol content is but 68.7 per cent. and the iodin content but 85 per cent. of the amounts claimed. The phrase “combined iodin” is evidently meant to mislead, and adds the element of mystery on which preparations of this class rely so largely.—(From The Journal A. M. A., March 15, 1913.)
NOURRY WINE[R][S]
Abstract of Report of the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry
Nourry Wine (E. Fougera and Co., New York) is a proprietary iodin preparation said to contain 12 per cent. of alcohol and 11⁄2 grains of iodin in combination with tannin to the fluidounce. Experiments made in the A. M. A. Chemical Laboratory demonstrate that the iodin contained in Nourry Wine is present either in the form of iodid ions or in a form very readily yielding iodid ions and that therefore its action will be that of ordinary iodid. Yet a circular asserts:
“The Nourry Wine is the one preparation ... able to introduce into the organism the active metalloid liberated little by little from the organic combination....”
While Nourry Wine contains but an insignificant proportion of iodin, the circular claims that “Nourry Wine presents a high dose of iodin.” Further, the label on Nourry Wine and the circular which is wrapped with it suggests its use in a number of diseases in which iodin medication is considered of minor importance. These recommendations, bolstered up by testimonials from twelve to twenty-five years old, are likely to lead the public if not the medical profession to use this weak iodid wine where efficient treatment is called for. The attempt is made to give a further false value to Nourry Wine in the minds of those who prize everything that is foreign by the suggestion that it comes from France when in reality it is made in New York. In conclusion the Council held that, though the alcohol of the wine is the most potent constituent, the constant use in the advertising matter of the term “Nourry Wine,” unqualified by the adjective “Iodinated,” was mischievous as likely to lead to the thoughtless use of the preparation in cases unsuitable for iodin medication. The Council refused recognition to Nourry Wine.—(From The Journal A. M. A., Dec. 12, 1914.)