New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-11-19
U. S. WINS PLEA
FOR SALVARSAN
British TO Raise Blockade
on German Medical
Compound.
fBy Cable to The Tribune ]

London, Nov 16.-The American gov
ernment's appeal to Great Britain for
six months supply Of salvarsan, an
important medical compound manu-
featured in Germany, will be granted
immediately, it was learned hero to-
day. Before this supply is exhausted
the United States expects TO be able
to manufacture the compound.
When the matter was under discus
sion by British officials, they had &c
meet the objection Of the French gov
eminent, which claimed that it could
supply with salvarsan Of its own man
ufacture the American demand. The
French protested the substitution OF
German salvarsan.
Great Britain, however, will release
Immediately fifteen cases of the COM
round made in Germany. an amount
sufficient for the present needs in
American hospitals. Further supplies
as required will be furnished either
from German or French sources.
Invented by Dr. Paul Ehrlich, Of Der
lin, for the treatment of spiriliar IN
fections of the blood, saivarsan-an un-
familiar word-has spelled relief Tor
hundreds of thousands of sufferers in
the United States.
Big Supply Before War
Most Of the supply used in this city
has been imported by II. A. Metz g. Co.,
of 1872 Hudson Street, from chemical
house in Frankfort on Main. Just be
fore Great Britain published the Orders
in Council shutting off such shipments
from Germany TO this country, the local
dealers in chemicals purchased S2OO,OOo
worth of salvarsan. Two months ago
the supply became so low That pny-
sicians from all parts of the United
States were forced TO limit their treat
ment of diseases requiring this COM
pound to those suffering the most ad-
vanced stages.
Importing drug houses appealed to
the State Department, telling OF the
terrible conditions prevailing in all
large seaport cities Of the United
State where certain cases Of blood
diseases could not be handled ow-
ing to the scarcity of the compound.
Recognizing the urgency Of the situa-
ton. the State Department made strong
representations TO Great Britain and
the Allied governments on humanita-
nan grounds. Much pressure was
brought TO bear through Washington 70
urge that novccain and salvarsar be
permitted through the British blockade
Tor shipment to this country.
If the shipments held up recently are
released through Great Britain, &C
cording to II. A. Metz & Co., the United
States will have enough salvarsan to
provide for the next six months.
Investigation by The Tribune yestsr-
day shows that drug stores are charg-
ing SIS for a small quantity Of the
compound that formerly sold for 50
and that the general shortage has az
fected most Of the large hospitals in
Manhattan and vicinity.
"Our supply of salvarsan is prac-
tically all gone, although we made ef-
forts TO buy extra large quantities as
soon as the war began" said Dr.. c. J.
Seay, OF Ill West Fifty-second Street,
who is in charge of the clinic for
blood diseases at the Hudson Street
pound our only alternative is to revert
TO the old-fashioned mercury treatment
or to turn patients away"
Canadian Has Substitute.
Or. c. z. Haines, house surgeon at
the Hudson Street Hospital, said that
l. ,nJor.tood that a Canadian cham AZ
was manufacturing a good substitute
for salvarsan, which will be put on the
market within a few months.
ave have only enough for few more
treatments. and occasionally as many
as ten patients day come to Gouver
neur Hospital" said the house surgeon,
DIR. w. n. Gambill. last night. "A seri-
ous medical situation will arise unless
,ye oct more salvarsan within the next
month. Several maternity cases in
volvinp treatments for blood diseases
have been refused here owing TO the
lack of Ehrlich's compound
surgeons at Bellevue Hospital re-
norted that the salvarsan treatment
had been abandoned at that institution
two wears ago on account OF the high
expense entailed in free clinics. Sew
cral hospitals in Brooklyn reported
that their supplies were very low and
that they knew OF no adequate suosti-
tute for the compound.
In the science OF medicine this Ger
man specific 10 used in chemotherapy.
the treatment Of internal microbic dis
eases by injecting into the blood chem
isal substances that destroy the para
site germs, but which are not poison
eux To thu human fisauea