ICTHYOL 629 



sulphur; also an inseparable volatile oil, to which its dis- 

 agreeable odor is due. 



Action and Uses. — Icthyol is one of the most widely use- 

 ful drugs recently introduced into medicine. It is particu- 

 larly valuable in the treatment of acute and chronic diseases 

 of the skin and subadjacent tissues, accompanied with 

 inflammation, pain, swelling, and induration ; also in epider- 

 mal proliferation. Icthyol is supposed to readily permeate 

 the skin, and there act to relieve inflammation and pain, and 

 aid resolution. It is one of the most successful remedies in 

 chronic eczema, psoriasis, and urticaria ; in erysipelas, 

 muscular and articular rheumatic disorders ; and in bruised 

 and strained muscles, tendons, and ligaments. 



The drug has proved of great worth in the treatment of 

 frost bites, burns, and in causing absorption of lymphatic 

 enlargements. Icthyol is recommended as a cure for sarcop- 

 tic mauge and scab. It is doubtful whether the drug is an 

 antiseptic, but is stimulant, anodyne, and resolvent, locally* 

 Icthyol is most satisfactorily applied to the unbroken skin 

 in ointment, with lanolin or lard, 25 to 50 per cent. Solu- 

 tions in water, glycerin, oils or alcohol, are sometimes 

 employed of various strengths. Icthyol is rarely given 

 internally for chronic rheumatism. 



Thiol is a substitute for icthyol, lacking the unpleasant 

 odor of the latter medicament. Thiol is derived from brown- 

 colored paraffin or gas-oils, by a complicated process, and 

 consists of a mixture of sulphuretted hydrocarbons. The 

 drug exists in two forms : 1, thiolum liquidum, a thin, 

 brownish-black liquid, soluble in water and glycerin; 2, 

 thiolum siccum, occurring in lustrous scales. Thiol is 

 cheaper than icthyol and is said to be as efficacious as the 

 latter. This remains to be proved, Liquid thiol is employed 

 in 10 per cent, aqueous solution or in ointment ; and thiolum 

 siccum in powder, dusted on inflamed parts, as in acute 

 moist eczema. 



