SCARCITY OF DRUGS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXV, Issue 8201, 26 July 1915, Page 5

SCARCITY OF DRUGS.

GERMAN PROCESSES FROM BRITISH MATERIAL.

At the beginning of the war, and again more recently, medical' men were notified by the authorities that certain drugs were scarce, • and urged to be sparing in the use of the&e ..so/ far as possible. -Of these, scarce drugs the most important and the most interesting, according to a writer in the ' 'Britisn Medicai Journal,' is carbolic acid, "phenol." Phenol is hot only a very widely used substance, but it is also a chemicai from which many other valuable substances are produced. These include salicylic acid, tho well-known aoetylsalicylic acid or "aspirin," and salicylate of soda, which has achieved so high a reputation in the treatment ,or" rheumatism.

The chief reason for the scarcity of carbolic acid .is that it is. an "essential constituent in'the manufacture of explosive lydditQ," which is a form of trinitrophenol, or picric acid. From the medical point of view substitutes for carbolic acid are easily obtained, and amongst these are a solution of creosal with soap, bin iodide and perchloride of mercury and tincture of iodine.

The problem in regard to salicylic acid, salieylate of soda, and^ "aspirin" is by no means so easy. The process by which these drugs are made was originally devised in Germany and had not been taken up here. Indeed, it is a fact vouched for by ■ the "British Medical Journal" that at the time the war broke out no salicylic acid was made in this country. Our manufacturers are now doing what they can to overtake the leeway, but their- efforts as yet have not been able materially to affeat the situation, and it is .therefore sugested, that medical men should restrict the «nso of the salicylates (including "aspirin") to cases of acute rheumatism, and its complications, and that for other conditions, including in- i fluenza, neuralgia, and cases loosely classed as rheumatism, other drugs should be employed. Happily, whiks the situation still remains difficult in regard to the salieylate group of drugs, the bromide group has once more become sufficiently plentiful to render restriction of xis© in medical practice unnecessary. This improvement is due to the recent increase in the supplies of bromides froni America. „,.,,, V ' Another drug, of which the supph remains very limited is atropine. AH supplies of atropine came from Germany—an astonishing fact in view of the circumstance that the plant Hyocyamus mutieus, from which much atrcpine'is obtained, is grown in Egypt. Economy here is stated to be essential, as'there is great difficulty in regard to a substitute. Cocaine and eucaine are also scarce. Thymol, which, like atropine, is made in Germany from material grown in the British Empire, is at .present very dear, though there are signs of an approaching increase in supply. Among popular medical substances which have hitherto come from Gei;many • "lanolin" may be mentioned. This", the purified fat of sheeps' wool., and although the original process of purification was patented in Germany thero is no reason why the work should not be carried out hera. Indeed, there is now British-made "lanolin" on the market. Phenacetin and veronal are also very scarce. Finally, Ehrlich's great dni^ snlvarsan, or "600," is very scarce indeed. ' .

It is satisfactory f.o learn from St. Andrew's that n,t the.lust meeti^e;' of tho University Cnuvfc.an intimation was received from Professor Irvine that work }iad been bewun in the Chemistry Department of the University on the preparation of synthetic drugs for tho. Government, the work beins; carried out in tlw Cftemien] Research Laboratory by the staff of the Department.

and that others are willing to assist. The wounded men are grateful, but feel the restrictions imposed by the hospital regulations. One correspondent suggests tho issue of good-conduct passes to enable the men to have longer leave."