WONDER DRUG

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 July 1941, Page 3

WONDER DRUG

GREAT PART IN MODERN MEDICINE TREATMENT OF PNEUMONIA, ADDRESS AT ROTARY CLUB. “It has been acclaimed the wonder arug of the age and is considered to be

the greatest advance made in medicine for the past twenty or twenty-five years," stated Dr. J. C. Forsyth in an address on the sulphomide drag group at the Masterton Rotary Club yesterday afternoon. Dr. Forsyth, who received a close and attentive hearing dealt with prontosil, sulphanilamide and sulphapyrodine or M & B 693 and stressed the important part this group of drugs played in modern medicine. Dr. Forsyth prefaced his address with a few remarks about bacteriology. He stated that the world was teeming with bacteria, or minute organisms which could not be seen under ordinary microscopic lenses. The different groups of bacilli produced different diseases. Dr. Forsyth dealt in technical terms with the groups. One of them was taking the biggest toll of human life. In the past they were combated by trying to raise the patient’s resistance by serums. In Germany, as so unfortunately often happened, the sulphomide drugs had been first heard of in 1935. The drug had been derived from an analine d'ye combination. At first the dye part of the combination was accredited with the results achieved. After a year’s experience it was found that the result was secured by the clear chemical substance in the combination. As the drug was fairly toxic results were not as encouraging as might have been expected. Two years later it was introduced into England. Some two years ago, May and Baker, English chemical research workers discovered the present valuable drug, which was named after them. May and Baker, and given the experimental number 693

“Pneumonia is not as serious as it used to be,” said Dr. Forsyth. He described the way in which M. & B. 693 reduced temperatures in 48 hours against the former 10 days, at the end of which the crisis was reached. The old painful cough and high temperatures were practically non-existent. The winter before last, in Masterton, some forty or fifty cases of pneumonia had been treated with the drug and there were only two deaths, both of which had been treated at a later stage than the others. The drug was difficult to take and produced giddiness, vomiting, etc., as it was still toxic. No doubfthe latest production which was on the market in England would reach New Zealand. It was surprising that the original product was in New Zealand 6 to S months before it was in America.

Dr. Forsyth stated that the drug was also used for the curing of social diseases and cerebo-spinal meningitis. The latter disease could be effectively checked if caught early. As the drug tended to reduce the white blood-cells it was necessary for the practitioner to keep a check on the patient’s blood count. As the drug had been used indiscriminately as a “cure all” with serious results it had been placed on the dangerous drug list and could not be procured without a doctor's order. The drug was valuable in surgery to prevent wounds from turning septic. The drug was applied to the wound in powder form. It was also a “God send” in midwifery. Although there was a high standard here mortality in child birth through peurperal fever was still high.