CHEMOTHERAPY 



fection. In the treatment of any case of syphilis the best results are not 

 secured from following any course of treatment according to a rule of 

 thumb; they are obtained only by a suitable combination of expert 

 clinical knowledge and training in serologic technic. All possible aid 

 should be enlisted in the treatment of the disease. 



It is beyond the scope of this book to present either case reports or a 

 lengthy discussion of salvarsan in the treatment of the various stages of 

 syphilis; suffice it to say that, in the absence of contraindications, the 

 drug may be administered whenever living spirochetes are present in a 

 patient's tissues, as evidenced either by clinical symptoms or a positive 

 Wassermann reaction. The method of administration selected should 

 be that which will best bring the drug into contact with the diseased 

 tissues. 



SALVARSAN IN THE TREATMENT OF NON-SYPHILITIC DISEASES 



While salvarsan therapy has achieved its greatest success in the 

 treatment of syphilis, its influence on certain non-syphilitic diseases has 

 been so pronounced that it is being used in an ever-increasing number of 

 diseases, the aim being to thus enlarge its sphere of usefulness. A re- 

 cent systematic study of the subject has been made by Best. 1 Good re- 

 sults have been reported by various observers in the following diseases : 



Frambesia (Yaws). The results achieved in this disease from the 

 use of salvarsan have equaled those obtained in syphilis. Two thousand 

 four hundred and thirty cases have been reported, a cure having been 

 effected in all but a few instances. Since the use of salvarsan has come 

 into favor hospitals for the treatment of frambesia have been closed. 



Relapsing Fever. In the treatment of this disease the drug has 

 likewise had a remarkable effect. Of 195 cases reported, in most of them 

 the microorganisms could not be found in the blood after an injection, 

 and in none of the cases were relapses observed to occur. 



Filariasis. Salvarsan has been found effective in killing the Filaria 

 sanguinis hominis and in ridding the blood of these parasites. Of 

 course, in elephantiasis it is impossible to restore the affected parts to 

 their normal appearance. 



Vincent's Angina. An immediate improvement and rapid healing 

 have been reported as following either an intravenous injection or the 

 local application of the drug in the form of a dusting-powder or in sus- 

 pension in glycerin. 



1 Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1914, Ixiii, 375. 



