210 



Scientific Proceedings (115). 



106 (1688) 



Preliminary note on chemical changes in the blood of syphilitics 

 under arsphenamin treatment. 1 



By CHARLES WEISS and ANNA CORSON. 



[From the Dermatological Research Institute, Philadelphia.] 



Among the very few recent publications on the subject of the 

 chemistry of the blood in syphilis before or during arsphenamin 

 therapy, the first is that of Rappleye. 2 He determined the urea 

 of the blood and the phenol-sulphon-phthalein elimination in the 

 urine of a series of twenty paretic cases before, and at intervals of 

 one half, three and twenty-four hours after intravenous administra- 

 tion of diarsenol 3 (0.5 to 0.6 gm.), and also of a series of ten patients 

 who had been under treatment for a long time. He observed 

 fairly normal values (8 to 20 mg. of urea nitrogen per 100 c.c. of 

 blood) in all cases both before and after treatment. 



Elliott and Todd 4 made similar studies before and after a 

 course of six weekly intravenous injections of 0.5 gm. of arsphen- 

 amin in a series of twenty syphilitic young men without evident 

 renal disturbance. They found the average urea content of the 

 blood to be 30.7 mg. before and 34.4 mg. per 100 c.c. of blood after 

 treatment. One case showed an increase of 19 mg. In another 

 series of nine cases to whom injections were given twice a week 

 with the same total dosage, the average blood urea was 33.7 mg. 

 before and 35.3 mg. after treatment. Five of the nine cases 

 showed increases of from 4 to 5 mg. of urea nitrogen per 100 c.c. 

 of blood. 



It is important to note that although these authors had selected 

 cases which clinically or by the albumin test showed no signs 

 of renal disturbance, their values for blood urea nitrogen before in- 

 jection are more or less pathological and range from 27 to 43 mg. 

 with an average value of 33.7 mg. per 100 c.c. of blood. 



1 Investigation aided by funds accruing from the preparation of arsphenamin. 



2 Rappleye, W. C. Notes on the Effect of Intravenous Diarsenol. Jour. Lab. 

 and Clin. Med., 1919, iv. 



3 This is the Canadian brand of arsphenamin (salvarsan). 



4 Elliott, J. A. and Todd, L. C. Effects of Arsphenamin on Renal Function in 

 Syphilitic Patients. Archives Der. and Syph., 1920, ii, 699-702. 



