The following statement of the action, uses and dosage of iron cacodylate appears in the 1920 edition of New and Nonofficial Remedies:
“Actions and Uses.—Ferric Cacodylate has the properties of iron salts and of arsenic. Its use has been proposed in conditions in which the effects of iron and the mild arsenic action of cacodylates is desired.
“Dosage.—from 0.015 to 0.1 Gm. (1⁄4 to 11⁄2 grains).”
The period for which the iron cacodylate preparations now in New and Nonofficial Remedies were accepted coming to an end with the close of 1920, the Council decided to determine if sufficient evidence for the value of ferric cacodylate has accumulated to warrant its continued recognition. The following is the report of the referee of the Committee on Therapeutics to whom the matter was assigned:
“As far as the Referee knows, the only claim that Iron Cacodylate has as a therapeutic agent is that it forms a convenient method for the administration of Iron and Cacodylate (while there is no reason why a drug should not be given by mouth, usually intramuscularly, and apparently it has recently been given intravenously). The effects to be expected from its use are those of iron and arsenic.
“Granted that iron and arsenic are valuable therapeutic agents, Iron Cacodylate is not a satisfactory preparation in which to administer these drugs for the following reasons:
“1. It would appear that Cacodylates are not the best form in which to administer arsenic. Cacodylates in therapeutic doses exert but a feeble action. Small quantities may be reduced to cacodyl (CH2)4As2, and varying amounts to inorganic arsenic. The amount transformed to arsenic is apparently unknown and probably varies in different individuals. On these grounds alone the use of the cacodylates where an arsenic effect is desired seems dubious.
“2. The amounts of iron and cacodylates contained in the doses recommended are small when compared with the usual doses of either iron or cacodylate. The amount of iron in the Iron Cacodylate preparations is small, about .0036 gram per dose, while the preparations admitted to ‘Useful Drugs’ contain much larger amounts per dose recommended. The list follows:
| Massa Ferri Carbonates | Fe per dose | .042 gm. |
| Pilulae Ferri Carbonates | " | .058 gm. |
| Tinctura Ferri Chloride | " | .022 gm. |
| Ferri et Ammonii Citrae | " | .042 gm. |
“The approximate amount of arsenic in Iron Cacodylate in the commonly recommended doses varies from .012 gm. to 0.024 gm., while the amount of arsenic in Sodium Cacodylate in the recommended doses varies between .021 and .35 gms. It would seem that a much more rational method of administration of these two drugs would be separately, in which case a better control over the dosage is possible.