WONDER DRUGS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24676, 31 August 1943, Page 4

WONDER DRUGS

THE SULPHONAMIDES GREAT SAVING OF LIFE LONDON. July 7 On Christmas Day, 1932, a German patent No. 607537 was granted for a dye named prontosil which appeared to have remarkable properties in protecting against bacterial infection. Thus began the fascinating story of the large family of drugs of the sulphonamide group which have revolutionised the treatment of many acute infections, writes a medical correspondent of the Times. Indeed, the director of the laboratory in which the early experiments were made considered the results so fantastic that he delayed publication lor nearly three years so that false hopes might not be raised. Actually the drug, or rather the dye, had been known since 1908. In the same year workers in France were claiming good results with something similar; and the power of certain dyes to deal with bacterial disease was being closely studied in the years before the last war.

But the real story begins with prontosil, the value of which was shown by carefully planned trials in Britain. At Queen Charlotte's Hospital, London, a campaign against maternal mortality was in progress. When prontosil became available its effects were tried on the dreaded puerperal (or childbed) fever caused by a particular variety of microbe known as the haemolytic streptococcus. "Almost Too Good To Be True"

Again the results were almost too good to be true and the research workers showed the greatest caution before publishing what they had found. Incidentally, the maternal mortality rato lias gone down and stayed down from that time onward.

This brings the story to The next step was the discovery that it was not the actual dye which was the valuable agent, but a colourless product formed from it in the body. Complicated as nomenclature has become in this story, it is of historical interest to note the full name of this substance, which is the real parent of all the later developments. It is termed paraaminobenzenesulphonamide; and the term sulphonamide is now used for the whole group. Immediate trials were made with all sorts of bacterial infections. It was found that the original drug, called sulphanilamide, was limited in its scope. Other infections caused by the haemolytic streptococcus were treated with success, notably erysipelas, and so were one or two other types of infection; but there was no effect on many serious maladies. Host of Derivatives Then began a great period of chemical research, during which a whole host of derivatives were patiently prepared and tested. In 1938 came the next important step, when the preparation numbered 693 in a certain laboratory was found to be effective against the bacteria causing pneumonia. This is now known as sulphapyridine; and the first clinical trials in Britain showed a reduction of over two-thirds in the mortality from pneumonia. Moreover, it was found that this drug had a wider range of activity than the original sulphanilamide. Meningitis came into the list of diseases which could sometimes be cured with it. Still the search went on; and next came a variation dealing with the staphylococcal microbe —the cause of infection in skin and bone disorders. This was called sulphathiazole. With these three main preparations an attack upon most of the acute infections of the body was now possible. But as the chemists were not satisfied, the last few years have seen still more developments. For dysentery there is now sulphaguanidine, and for certain local uses, as for example in the eye, sulphacetamide.

Gaps Not Yet Filled Research has brought sulphatliiazine from America and sulphamethazine from Britain as modern varieties which apparently do all that the original drugs will do, but more pleasantly and with less risk. There are still gaps where those sulphonamides at present available fail lamentably. The whole group of diseases due to viruses, of which true influenza is one, are not fundamentally influenced, although complications due to other bacteria may be attacked. Nor as yet has any sulphonamide been found which will deal with the bacillus causing tuberculosis. Many patients all over the world, animal as well as human, owe their lives to the sulphonamides. Writing recently of the mortality rates in England "and Wales for 1942, the medical statistician in the General Register Office concluded that "it seems to me reasonable to conclude from the figures that the lives saved by the sulphonamides in 1942 ran well into five figures." War surgery has become very much safer since these drugs were available. Sepsis has been largely controlled by sulphonamide drugs. Never in so short a space of time has such a revolution been wrought in the treatment of so many diseases.

£3,000,000 PROJECT ALUMINIUM INDUSTRY PRODUCTION IN TASMANIA MELBOURNE, Aug. 20 The Commonwealth Government has decided to establish an aluminium ingot industry in Tasmania. The Minister for Supply and Shipping, Mr. Beasley, said in Melbourne that rolling mills, extrusion and forging plants already in existence were being added to. Electricity required would be substantia! and would be supplied by the Tasmanian hydro-electric scheme For security reasons, the extent of the project cannot be disclosed. It is proposed to set aside £3,000.000 to establish the industry. Before making its decision, tho Government sent overseas four technicians, Messrs. Keast, Mawby, Heyes and Anderson, to investigate production and to inquire into the availability of plant in Canada, the United States and Britain. Mr. Beasley said that the inquiries demonstrated that the prospects of supply of plant were brighter from Britain than from America. CLOTHING FOR EUROPE LONDON, July 27 Plans for reclothing the people of the Allied countries when the Germans are defeated are being prepared in Yorkshire. As soon as the time comes, many mills will be turned over to tho production of warm, hard-wearing cloths. Representatives of Allied Governments in Britain will choose tho cloths they want. The material will be sent over in piece goods, to he made up in factories and workshops in Europe. RIGHT TO RAW MILK Whether a customer has the right to demand raw milk, instead of pasteurised, from a roundsman was a question asked at a meeting of the Auckland Metropolitan Milk Council yesterday. In reply, the chairman, Mr. I. J. Goldstine, said that while the council's policy was to encourage the use of pasteurised milk any vendor, except the companies, could sell raw milk. People could demand raw milk from other vendors and if requested it was the duty of the roundsman 1:o supply it. If a vendor found difficulty in obtaining a supply of raw milk, his duty was to report the fact to the council. All machine-bottled milk must be pasteurised.