ORGANIC MEDICINAL CHEMICALS 33 



Basil Valentine, writing a separate treatise on this element, whose powers, 

 were so wonderful that he entitled it "The Triumphal Chariot of Anti- 

 mony." Locally tartar emetic, the most important salt of antimony, is 

 an irritant, producing pustules that resemble those of smallpox. Inter- 

 nally tartar emetic is an emetic. It is, however, little employed to-day 

 in this way. In very small doses it is an expectorant, being used in cough 

 mixtures with considerable success. Its action here is in all probability 

 due to an increase in the bronchial secretions. Antimony has also been 

 used for its quieting action of the heart, it unlike aconite or veratrum 

 acting directly on the heart muscle. As a destroyer of trypanosomes it 

 has been used in sleeping sickness. The trichloride of antimony, so-called 

 butter of antimony, is used as a caustic. Forscheimer mentions the use 

 of antimony in only three conditions, viz. ; expectorant in bronchitis, re- 

 lapsing fever, and laryngitis. 



Phosphorus. Phosphorus is a very important element in the human 

 economy. It enters into the making of the constituents of cytoplasm and 

 nucleoplasni, and the formation of bones. It is thus constantly ingested 

 and needed as a food stuff in the form of phosphoproteins, nucleoproteins, 

 phosphorized fats, and inorganic phosphates. We find it used in medicine, 

 for its influence on the development of bone, for building up the nervous 

 tissue in nervous exhaustion and degeneration of nerve center. The 

 pharmacopoeia recognizes elementary phosphorus and the pill of 

 phosphorus; besides this we have seven preparations of the salts of phos- 

 phorus, mostly hypophosphites. Forscheimer mentions its use in the 

 following conditions: beri-beri, atropic laryngitis, chronic myelitis, laryn- 

 geal tuberculosis, neurasthenia, neuralgia due to anemia, rachitis, medias- 

 tinla lymph glands. 



ORGANIC CHEMICALS 



The organic agents of a medicinal character are extremely numerous. 

 They are sometimes referred to as hydrocarbon derivatives. They are, 

 in fact, of extremely varied composition. Some of them are purely 

 synthetic products, so-called derivatives of the paraffins and benzins, for 

 example. Among these are phenols, amines, ketones, pyrazolones, etc., 

 with their innumeral derivatives. Classified with the organic agents 

 there are also products, characterized as alkaloids, glucosides and neutral 

 principles. Many combinations of metallic bases (silver, mercury, bis- 

 muth, copper, etc.) with organic radicles constitute a very important group 

 in the general class of organic agents often called "New Remedies." 



For a most complete and satisfactory reference to these remedial agents, 

 see "New and Non-Official Remedies," published by the American 

 Medical Association. g 



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