Evening star., 1945-10-18
Sugar-SuIphur Drug
Notably Successful
In Fight on Leprosy

A chemical combination of sugar
and sulphur, first introduced three
years ago as a possible tuberculosis
remedy, Unexpectedly has proved
the most potent drug yet found in
the treatment of leprosy.
Remarkable effects achieved over
two years have just been reported
to the National Institute of Health
by DR.. c. H. FACET, director of the
National Leprosarium at Carville,
La. No actual cures are claimed,
but 125 lepers have shown notable
and lasting improvement which in
dicatae that the substance injected
into the blood stream may act di-
rectly against the germs responsible
for one of the most dreaded of all
human maladies.
The drug is promin. Against
tuberculosis in humans, for which
1t was designed, it proved disap-
pointing, although it had a power
full effect against tubercle bacilli In
test tubes and in experimental
animals. Like all the sulfa drugs,
however, it was destroyer of blood
cells and Public Health Service
workers found that doses great
enough to have much effect on the
disease in human beings were too
poisonous to be tolerated.
Similar Micro Organisms.
Use of promin against leprosy was
started at Carville with little eXpec-
tation of favorable results. But any
drug in any way effective against
the tubercle bacillus is worth trying
against leprosy. The micro-organ-
isms responsible for the two diseases
are very similar. Both are protected
from drug poisons by waxlike coat
1ngs which tend to render them i'm
mune to chemicals of the Sulfani-
mide group.
The germ of leprosy, however, Of
fers much more difficult problems
than does the tubercle bacillus. The
latter can be cultivated in test tubes.
The disease can be transmitted to
experimental animals. The potency
OF antituberculosis drugs can be
tested before they are tried on hui
man beings.
The leprosy bacillus, on the other
hand, multiplies only in the human
body. 1t cannot be cultivated in
test tube. No other animal is sub
Ject to the disease. Proposed cures
can be tested only on lepers them
selves. The diesase tends to affect
chiefly the skin and nerve endings
which have a poor blood supply.
Hence 1t is difficult to reach them
with a drug which circulates in the
blood.
Works Slowly.
Promin is the first drug vet found
which can be demonstrated to act
directly against the causative or
ganlsm of the disease. Thus it con-
stltutes, it is probable, the greatest
advance ever made against this
malady. 1t works slowly. Little i'm
provement is manifest until after at
least six months of treatment. II
Is described as the best expert
mental treatment ever tested"
Against the closely akin tuber-
cuiosls, promin was found to have
little value and the new drug
streptomycin, of the same family as
penlelllin, is much more potent with
experimental animals and is much
less toxic to blood cells. But recent
experiments by Dr.. M. I. Smith.
chief pharmacologist of the National
institute of Health, and DR.. w. T.
McCloSky show that when small
amounts of promin are used simulta-
neously with streptomycin the effects
OF this drug against the tubercle
bacillus are considerably increased.
This Is regarded as the most
promising chemical treatment for
tuberculosis yet discovered, although
1t is not claimed as a cure, any more
than promin alone is claimed as a
cure for leprosy.