THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY 
Vol.  93.  December,  1921.  No.  12. 
EDITORIAL 
BARIUM  SULPHATE. 
Of  recent  years  this  chemical  has  come  into  considerable  use. 
Its  particular  field  of  usefulness  has  been  in  roentgenological  prac- 
tice. Previous  to  its  introduction  the  bismuth  compounds  had  been 
used  to  supply  imperviousness  to  the  passage  of  the  X-ray  so  that 
organs  coated  with  the  chemical  reflected  their  outlines  or  defects  in 
their  outlines  on  the  developed  negatives.  But  the  bismuth  com- 
pounds were  expensive,  and  minds  were  promptly  turned  to  search 
for  some  innocuous  and  inexpensive  substitute  to  replace  these  costly 
compounds.  Of  the  host  of  substances  which  presented  themselves, 
barium  sulphate  was  selected  and  under  some  conditions  proved  to 
be  quite  the  happy  choice.  It  is,  however,  painfully  true  that  de- 
plorable errors  have  been  made  in  many  instances  in  connection  with 
dispensing  this  substance.  A  recent  fatal  mistake  is  reported  in 
the  English  press,  which  recounts  how  barium  thiosulphate,  also 
known  as  barium  hypo-sulphite,  had  been  administered  instead  of 
the  sulphate,  and  had  occasioned  the  prompt  death  of  the  patient  to 
whom  it  had  been  furnished.  (See  Pharmaceutical  Journal  and 
Pharmacist,  October  22,  192 1.) 
On  this  side  of  the  water  barium  sulphide,  the  depilatory,  has 
often  been  given  in  error  for  the  insoluble  sulphate,  and  frequently 
with  fatal  results.  All  of  these  mistakes  have  occurred  when  the 
chemical  in  question  had  been  prescribed  for  the  purpose  of  afford- 
ing X-ray  diagnosis.  Those  who  are  familiar  with  procedures  in- 
volving the  use  of  these  impervious  materials  for  roentgenology  know 
that  the  custom  is  to  administer  to  the  patient  a  quantity  of  the 
chemical  ranging  from  100  to  150  grammes  suspended  in  water  or 
preferably  milk.    Then,  after  the  customary  delay,  the  exposure  is 
(8.15) 
