444 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1957 



The outbreak of World War I led to a renewed search for new and 

 better antiseptics to combat wound infections. Once again aniline 

 dyes proved useful. It had already been observed that certain of these 

 dyes, when incorporated into media for growing bacteria, had the 

 ability to suppress the growth of some germs while permitting others 

 to develop. This was a useful diagonostic tool in isolating certain 

 bacteria from mixtures. Now it was found that some of the germs 

 against which the dyes exerted a selective bacteriostatic action were 

 common causes of wound infection. Gentian violet, brilliant green, 

 and other members of the triphenylmethane series were found to be 

 especially effective. Thus, during the war gentian violet was used 

 with considerable success at the Walter Reed Hospital in Washington 

 for the treatment of diphtheritic infections of amputation stumps. 

 Another antiseptic of considerable value developed during this period 

 and stemming directly from Ehrlich's own studies was neutral acri- 

 flavine. Mercurochrome and related substances are familiar to all. 

 Yet despite a concerted effort in numerous laboratories all over the 

 world, little practical progress was made in finding chemotherapeutic 

 agents effective in the patient's body against such organisms as the 

 pneumococcus, streptococcus, the enteric organisms. The break- 

 through came in 1932-35, when Gerhard Domagk of Germany discov- 

 ered the first of the sulfa drugs of which literally hundreds have been 

 synthesized. Again these find their chemical basis in coal-tar dyes. 

 The subsequent discovery of the antibiotics is outside the scope of this 

 story. However, to make this account complete and, in fact, to return 

 to the starting point, as it were, I must mention the search for anti- 

 malarial drugs. It will be recalled that Perkin discovered aniline 

 dyes by accident while attempting to synthesize quinine. With the 

 increase in chemical knowledge, others took up the problem where 

 Perkin left it and this time with more success. Between World Wars 

 I and II a series of potent antimalarial drugs such as atabrine, plas- 

 mochine, paludrine and others were prepared. These were found 

 to be especially effective during the Second World War when supplies 

 of natural quinine were cut off. Then in 1944, quinine itself was 

 synthesized by Woodward and Doering of Harvard. How Perkin 

 would have rejoiced at this feat, for a feat it was. But synthetic 

 quinine, while representing a scientific triumph, is not a practical drug 

 since it is too expensive for commercial use. 



In summary, we have seen how the aniline dyes discovered by Wil- 

 liam Henry Perkin came at a most fortuitous moment in the history 

 of medicine and biology. In retrospect, it is even possible to question 

 whether medicine and biology as we know them today could have 

 reached their present position had they not traveled the rainbow road 

 that poured out of Perkin's test tubes and tar buckets. 



