737.462

'Iso-Double' ampoule [Iso-Doppelampule] of 'Myo-Salvarsan' sulpharsphenamine injection, with glucose solution for reconstitution

Inscription

Solut. Glucos. / 10% / 3 cm
'MYO- / SALVARSAN' / SULPHARSPHENAMINE / Manufactured by I. G. Farbenindustrie A.G. [...]
SALVARSAN/ Organic Mercurial [recte. arsenical] used in treatment of/ Syphilis./ Ampoule kindly donated by/ Mr. R. Nicols, Special Clinic/ 9.1.79

Production date

1935

Production place

GERMANY

Production organisations

Bayer Products Ltd.
I. G. Farbenindustrie A.G.

Labels

First discovered by Professor Paul Ehrlich in collaboration with Professor Sahachiro Hata in the early 1910s, Salvarsan, also known as Arsphenamine or compound 606, was the first effective treatment for syphilis and is known as the first modern antimicrobial agent. As a toxic arsenic-based compound, salvarsan was difficult to handle and became unstable when exposed to air. It was distributed in powder form and had to be dissolved in sterile water before being injected into the patient. The injection often caused unpleasant side-effects, including rashes, nausea, temperature and liver damage, and had a tendency to ‘burn up veins’. However, it was far more effective than the previous standard treatment of mercury, and remained the treatment of choice for syphilis until the introduction of mass-produced penicillin after the Second World War.