SYNTHETICAL DRUGS 587 



For this reason mercury, copper, and silver salts of the 

 organic acids are frequently employed both internally and 

 externally. Asterol, a double salt composed of mercuric 

 phenolsulphonate and ammonium tartrate, is stable in water, 

 and neither precipitates albumin nor attacks metallic surgical 

 instruments. Metallic salts of the organic acids are recom- 

 mended as antiseptics. Alumnol is an aluminium /3-naphthol- 

 disulphonate put forward by Meister, Lucius & Bruning. 

 Nizin, a zinc salt of sulphanilic acid (NH 2 . C 6 H 4 . S0 3 ) 2 Zn.7H 2 0, 

 is recommended by Messrs. Burroughs, Wellcome & Co. as a 

 non-irritating, non-toxic antiseptic, which even in strong 

 solutions does not coagulate albumin. 



Copper cinnamate icuprocitral) has been used in the form 

 of an ointment in ophthalmic work. Strontium cinnamate 

 has been tried in connection with the treatment of tuber- 

 culosis already mentioned. 



Bismuth salicylate and bismuth cerous salicylate have been 

 employed in intestinal troubles, whilst bismuth subgallate 

 finds employment as a non-irritant antiseptic dusting powder, 

 under the name of dermatol. 



Arsenic furnishes a good example of an element which 

 is much more readily tolerated in the form of an organic 

 salt. For this purpose sodium dimethylarsinate 



(CH 3 ) 2 AsO . ONa, 3H 2 



was formerly advocated, as it is less poisonous than Fowler's 

 solution (potassium arsenite). The use of this substance is, 

 however, attended with one disadvantage — namely, the pro- 

 duction in the system of malodorous cacodyl derivatives. A 

 much more satisfactory vehicle for the therapeutic application 

 of arsenic has been found in the substance known commercially 

 as atoxyl, and which is prepared in a crystallised form by 

 Messrs. Poulenc Freres and also by Messrs. Burroughs, 

 Wellcome & Co. This compound was originally obtained by 

 Bechamp in 1863 by heating aniline arsenate at 190-200 C, 

 whereby a substance was formed which he considered was 

 an anilide of arsenic acid, C 6 H 5 . NHAsO(OH) 2 . On neu- 

 tralising this substance with sodium hydroxide a soluble 

 crystallisable salt was obtained which was supposed by 

 Bechamp, and more recently by Fourneau (1907), to have the 

 constitution C 6 H 5 . NH . AsO(OH) . ONa, together with some 



