MEDEOL SUPPOSITORIES
Report of the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry
The following report on Medeol Suppositories has been adopted by the Council, and its publication authorized.
W. A. Puckner, Secretary.
“Medeol Suppositories” (Medeol Company, Inc., New York) appear to be an imitation of “Anusol Suppositories” which, in 1907, were found to be inadmissible to New and Nonofficial Remedies. A comparison of the composition and of the claims made for the two preparations will be of interest in the present consideration of Medeol Suppositories:
| Anusol Suppositories (1909) | Medeol Suppositories (1917) | |||
Anusoli | 7.5 | Medeol | 0.25 | |
Zinc oxid | 6.0 | Zinc oxid | 0.5 | |
Balsam Peru | 1.5 | Acid. tannic | 0.15 | |
Ol. theobrom. | 19.0 | Bals. Peru | 0.16 | |
Ungt. cerat. | 2.5 | Cocoa butter and wax q. s. for 1 suppository. | ||
| for 12 suppositories. | ||||
“Anusol” was formerly said to be bismuth iodoresorcinsulphonate. The A. M. A. Chemical Laboratory published a report in 1909 showing that the suppositories contained only 1 per cent. of the iodin declared in the “formula,” and were greatly deficient in bismuth and sulphur. After the publication of the report the American agents for the product disclaimed that “Anusol” was a definite chemical compound. Today Anusol Suppositories are said to contain unstated amounts of the indefinite “bismuth oxyiodid and resorcinsulphonate.”
“Medeol” is said to be “resorcinated iodo bismuth,” but no information is vouchsafed as to the character or composition of the ingredient. The therapeutic claims made for the two preparations are similar, as the following, taken from circulars, show:
Anusol Suppositories
An innocuous, non-irritant remedy for anal, rectal and vaginal inflammatory affections, especially for Hemorrhoids!
The local medicinal treatment of hemorrhoidal and other inflammatory ano-rectal conditions has always been unsatisfactory. The usual media cannot be applied in effective concentration without producing intense inflammatory reactions; they are either ineffective or intolerable....
Anusol suppositories are absolutely free from narcotic, caustic or other injurious ingredients and may unhesitatingly be used by both sexes, at any age and under all conditions.
Medeol Suppositories
An innocuous, Non-irritant, Efficient Antiphlogistic for use in inflammatory diseases of the rectum, anus and vagina especially in Hemorrhoids.
Hitherto most of the local remedies used in these conditions have either been too irritating to be employed in sufficient concentration to be efficient or they have lacked efficiency per se....
Medeol suppositories do not contain any narcotic or any caustic or other constituent having violent action; their blandness permits of their use in either sex and at all ages.
The claims made for these preparations—as for instance “that surgical treatment ... should rarely be undertaken until Medeol Suppositories have been given a thorough trial”—are misleading in that they create the inference that the limitations in the palliative treatment of piles have been overcome. It is altogether untrue that these mixtures can be expected to “relieve the most obstinate cases,” as stated in a Medeol circular. This, from an Anusol circular, is equally misleading:
“If dietetic and other requirements are complied with, even the most obstinate chronic cases will frequently readily yield to treatment with Anusol Suppositories.”
The Council declared Medeol Suppositories inadmissible to New and Nonofficial Remedies because their composition is secret (Rules 1 and 2); because unwarranted therapeutic claims are made for these (Rule 6); because the name is objectionable (Rule 8), and because the combination is unscientific (Rule 10).
In those cases of hemorrhoids in which palliative measures may be expected to enable the patient to avoid surgical interference and afford relief from attacks, the object should be to secure cleanliness, to avoid irritation, whether it be by friction or irritating fecal matter, to reduce inflammation by astringents and, when necessary, to relieve pain by analgesics. If an antiseptic dusting powder is desired, boracic acid in impalpable powder with talc may be employed; if an astringent, finely powdered oxid of zinc may be added; if a local analgesic is necessary, a little extract of belladonna may be incorporated with petrolatum or other ointment base. The main reliance, in any event, should be to effect normal bowel movements by regulating the diet rather than by the use of purgatives; the use of warm water to insure cleanliness; the avoidance of irritation, especially that caused by friction and secretions; a mild astringent to reduce inflammation.—(From The Journal A. M. A., March 9, 1918)