Langenhan—The Arsenical Solutions. 
147 
As already pointed out, the medicinal use of arsenic compounds 
was restricted largely to external purposes (depilatory, etc.)- 
Whether arsenic, or more correctly, arsenous acid or its salts, or 
possibly organic derivatives of arsenic, played a role in the famous 
Aqua tofana of about 1700 may possibly never be definitely cleared 
up. 21 That white arsenic combines with aqueous alkalies was shown 
by Maequer 22 in 1746 and 1748, who called the products resulting 
fois d’ arsenic, or arsenic liver, reminding of the times when ar¬ 
senic was supposed to be similar to sulphur. 23 
It was this property that Hughes, apothecary of the infirmary 
at Stafford, made use of when requested by Fowler to analyze and 
duplicate a quack remedy, known as “Tasteless ague or fever 
drops” which the latter had found efficacious in the “cure” of 
“agues, remitting fevers and periodic headaches”. 24 This was in 
1786. “It is universally recognized that Fowler introduced the 
modern medicinal employment of the arsenic, but it should in 
fairness be remembered that he was guided to his discovery by a 
quack remedy, as he himself fully acknowledged”. 25 
Fowler’s solution quickly found its way into the pharmaco¬ 
poeias: first of all into the London Pharmacopoeia of 1809. 23 From 
this it quickly passed into the first edition of the United States 
Pharmacopoeia which was published in 1822. On the European 
continent, it made its first appearance in the Pharmacopoea Han- 
overana of 1819. Its rapid admission to the other state pharma¬ 
copoeias is indicated by the following chronological list: 27 
1822 Pharmacopoea Bawatrica 
1823 Pharmacopoea Belgica 
1826 Codex Medicamentarius 
21 Comp. Peters, Aug pharmazeutischer Vorzeit, neue Folge, sweite Aufl., 
(1899), p. 124. 
22 See Kopp, Geschichte der Chemie, vol. 4, p. 95. 
Maequer, Dictionary of Chemistry, pp„ 648 and 666 ; Maequer however, does 
not differentiate between the potassium arsenite obtained by dissolving arsenic 
trioxide in potassium carbonate solution, and potassium arsenate, obtained by 
dissolving arsenic trioxide in aqueous potassium nitrate solution. 
23 A similarity that is even today reflected in the classification of minerals 
as illustrated by the isomorphous series of pyrites and arsenical pyrites. 
34 Wootton, Chronicles of pharmacy, vol. 2, p. 134; See also Wilson’s patent 
in appendix. 
26 Wootton, p. 135. 
28 Powell’s translation of the Pharmacopoeia Londinensis, 1809. 
27 Whether in all cases the date given is that of the first appearance has not 
been definitely settled because of the inability to consult complete sets of edi¬ 
tions in all cases. 
