SALVARSAN AND ITS USE IN TREATMENT OF SYPHILIS 265 



To give an idea of the immense amount of labor which this work 

 has involved it will be sufficient to point out that up to the year 

 1910 over six hundred arsenical products alone had been prepared 

 and tested biologically and therapeutically under Ehrlich's direction. 

 Of these the one carrying the number 606 has been of special interest 

 to clinicians, as its wonderful therapeutic effect upon trypanosome 

 infections and certain spirilloses of animals (notably the spirillosis 

 of relapsing fever and chicken spirillosis) suggested the idea that the 

 product might be similarly effective in the treatment of human 

 syphilis (see Plate IV). After preliminary studies had then shown 

 that a single dose of the substance is capable of causing the complete 

 destruction of all spirochetes in syphilis-infected rabbits, with the 

 complete cure of the testicular chancre and without the occurrence 

 of a relapse, it was clearly indicated that corresponding experiments 

 in the human being were justifiable (see Plate V). After the first 

 trials in this direction had then demonstrated a similarly beneficial 

 effect, Ehrlich placed the remedy in the hands of a large number 

 of special workers in this field in order that a conclusion should be 

 reached as soon as possible regarding its therapeutic value, the 

 indications and contra-indications to its use, the question of dosage, 

 mode of administration, etc. As a consequence reports on these 

 questions could be collected within a year, covering the administration 

 of the remedy in many thousands of cases, so that in a relatively 

 short time the verdict could be reached that preparation 606, or 

 salvarsan, as it is now termed, actually constitutes the most potent 

 remedy which we have at our disposal for the treatment of syphilis; 

 and we would emphasize once more that this discovery was not the 

 result of accident, but the outcome of carefully planned experimentation, 

 carried to its logical issue. 



SALVARSAN AND ITS USE IN THE TREATMENT OF SYPHILIS 



Chemically speaking salvarsan (Ehrlich's "606") is the dichlor- 

 hydrate of dioxydiaminoarsenobenzol : 



As = As 

 /\ 



NH 



2 I J 



OH OH 



NH 



