TRYPANOCIDAL ACTIVITY AND ARSENIC CONTENT OF THE CEREBROSPINAL FLUID AFTER ADMINISTRATION OF ARSENIC COMPOUNDS. II

¹ Cardiff City Mental Hospital, Wales, and Pharmacology Department, Welsh National School of Medicine

1. A second series of compounds was examined by the method of administering them to patients and then examining the cerebrospinal fluid for trypanocidal activity and total arsenic content.

2. Of the eight compounds studied in this way, only one, As 190, appeared approximately equal to tryparsamide and so worth further clinical study.

3. Sulpharsphenamine produced a moderate trypanocidal activity in the cerebrospinal fluid, but this was inferior to that produced by tryparsamide.

4. The other compounds examined, viz. the pentavalent arsenical compounds, stovarsol (orarsan), solvarsin, acetylarsan, and parosan; the trivalent arsenical compound, K 352; and the antimonial compound, neostibosan; all failed to produce definite trypanocidal action.

5. In a small proportion of the patients, mostly cases of general paresis, the cerebrospinal fluid possesses a slight trypanocidal activity in vitro independent of the administration of drugs. This can easily be distinguished from that due to arsenical compounds.