During the past few years some French physicians have reported favorably on the intrarectal administration of arsphenamine. Boyd and Joseph at Panama published (The Journal, Aug. 17, 1918, p. 521) an enthusiastic report on intrarectal injection of arsphenamine but did not refer to its use in the form of suppositories. In a comprehensive report, on the “Treatment of Syphilis” (Quarterly Journal of Medicine, July, 1917) L. W. Harrison stated that arsphenamine (Salvarsan) in the shape of an enema is definitely less effective than intravenously and that “Neisser and the vast majority of workers can see no value in the rectal method.” Schamberg and Hirschler (A Safe and Efficient Intensive Method of Treating Syphilis, Therapeutic Gazette, November, 1919, p. 761) have given a rather thorough trial of this method; the results were most disappointing: “A certain or rather uncertain amount of arsphenamine is absorbed into the blood, but the quantity is obviously too small to be at all comparable in its effect with the intravenous administration. Our conclusions are that the rectal administration of arsphenamine or neoarsphenamine is an extremely feeble method of administering these drugs.”
The report of the Special Committee on the Manufacture, Biological History and Clinical Administration of Salvarsan and Other Substances of the British National Health Insurance Medical Research Committee contains the following: “The rectal method of administration, either in the form of solution or as suppositories, has been advocated by a few observers mainly for cases in which there is difficulty in the adoption of the intravenous method. The experiments made by Mills at Rochester Row show that three enemata of ‘606’ (0.6 Gm. in each) on successive days failed to produce any effect on the spironemes in the lesions. The general opinion of experienced workers is that the rectal method is ineffective, and in this view the Committee concur.”—(From The Journal A. M. A., Oct. 30, 1920.)
HYPODERMIC SOLUTION NO. 13, IRON, ARSENIC AND PHOSPHORUS COMPOUND NOT ACCEPTED FOR N. N. R.
Report of the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry
The Council has authorized publication of the following report.
W. A. Puckner, Secretary.
Hypodermic Solution No. 13, Iron, Arsenic and Phosphorus Compound (Burdick-Abel Laboratory) is said to contain in each c.c.:
| Ferrous citrate | 0.06 | Gm. |
| Sodium cacodylate | 0.06 | Gm. |
| Sodium glycerophosphate | 0.1 | Gm. |
| Chloretone | 0.005 | Gm. |