Neosalvarsan
date: label: Date made
content: ca 1930
name: label: maker
content: H.A. Metz Laboratories
notes: label: Description
content: Glass vial in a rectangular cardboard box with an inscription that reads in part “Neosalvarsan / TRADE MARK REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. / Brand of Neoarsphenamine / IN / ISOPULE / REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. / H. A. METZ LABORATORIES, INC., NEW YORK, N.Y.”
label: Description
content: Neosalvarsan is a synthetic chemotherapeutic that became available in 1912 and superseded the more toxic and less water-soluble salvarsan as an effective treatment for syphilis.
label: Description
content: This bottle was sold by H.A. Metz Laboratories. Herman August Metz (1867-1934) was a New Yorker of German descent who worked for several firms that manufactured and imported German dyestuffs, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. In 1903 he established his own firm, H. A. Metz & Co.
label: Description
content: Syphilis is a bacterial infection that commonly spreads through sexual contact although it can also be passed from a mother to her child in utero. When left untreated, syphilis can cause a variety of symptoms ranging from chancres (sores) to neurological damage. During the early twentieth century, syphilis was believed to have reached epidemic proportions in the United States. Finding and treating patients with this disease became an imperative of various state health departments as well as the United States Public Health Service and the American military, which worried about the impact syphilis had on its soldiers and sailors. American concerns about syphilis were shared by countries across the world.
label: Description
content: In 1909, PauI Ehrlich, a German physician and scientist, Alfred Bertheim, a German chemist, and Sahachiro Hata, a Japanese bacteriologist, developed the first drug which could cure syphilis. While highly effective, their drug, Salvarsan, came with multiple side effects. In 1912, Ehrlich, Bertheim, and Hata developed Neosalvarsan which had fewer side effects but was just as effective in curing syphilis.
label: Description
content: However, Neosalvarsan still carried considerable risk of side effects. In the 1940s, the development of penicillin which provided a safe and effective treatment of syphilis led to a decline in the use of Neosalvarsan.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New York, New York City
topic: label: Subject
content: Sterling Drug Collection
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Medicine
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of The History Factory
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2001.0314.205
label: accession number
content: 2001.0314
label: catalog number
content: 2001.0314.205
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Pharmaceutical
label: Object Name
content: pharmaceutical
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: neoarsphenamine, 0.45 gm (drug active ingredients)
label: Physical Description
content: distilled water, 7.5 cc. (drug ingredient)
label: Physical Description
content: cardboard (packaging material)
label: Physical Description
content: glass (container material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 3.2 cm x 14.5 cm x 3.6 cm; 1 1/4 in x 5 11/16 in x 1 7/16 in
label: Measurements
content: overall: 1 1/4 in x 5 3/4 in x 1 1/2 in; 3.175 cm x 14.605 cm x 3.81 cm