Poisoning by Salo1.—Salol owes its poi sonous properties to its constituents, car bolic acid and salicylic acid, chiefly the former. The relative infrequency with which it has caused death is probably due to the reasons above suggested by H. C. Wood. Salol is absorbed slowly, but is also eliminated slowly; so that there is danger of accumulation in the system, if given too frequently, unless diarrhoea be present. It would follow that larger doses would be accompanied with less danger in the latter cases.
The importance of the formation of salol calculi, apart from the serious symptoms to which they may give rise, lies in the fact that the activity of the drug is markedly diminished. The chief fault seems to be in the method of ad ministration. Salol—and the same thing holds good for other insoluble bodies of similar melting-point—ought to be rubbed up with some innocuous powder, or given in the form of an emulsion, as recommended by Sahli. C. R. Marshall (Brit. Med. Jour., July 10, '97).
Josias reported the case of a young girl in whom a large patch of scarlatiniform erythema, together with rose-colored papules and spots resembling those of measles, appeared upon various portions of the body after taking 45 grains. The insufflation of salol for the relief of otorrhcea has caused extreme swelling of the external auditory meatus, the isth mus of the fauces, and of the uvula. Josephowitsch reports a case in which 350 grains had been given in four days, where intense albuminuria and violent pains in the loins appeared. Hesselbach claims that salol is dangerous and contra indicated when renal disease is present, on account of the untoward action of car bolic acid upon the renal cortex. He reports a death of an adult after taking 120 grains for acute rheumatism within eight hours. Chlapowski reports a case in which death apparently followed the ingestion of 15 grains (Nowiny Lekarske, No. 4, '90). It is recommended that a soluble sulphate, as Glauber's salt, be given during the administration of the drug to a patient who is either weak or possesses an idiosyncrasy to the use of carbolic acid.
The powerful action of salol against microbes is due to its snlittioo.
any alkaline medium, into salicylic and sulpho-carbolic acids. Its internal use requires caution in fevers, in acute or chronic diseases of the kidney, and ar thritic cases with cuticular congestions.
Manceau (These de Paris, No. 159, '96).
Therapeutics. — Salol was introduced into medicine, and is now used, as a remedy for rheumatism to take the place of salicylic acid in those cases where the stomach is irritable and will not tolerate the latter. Its applicability is similar to that of salicylic acid. It is useful in acute articular rheumatism, in muscular rheumatism, and myalgia due to ex posure. It may be used alone or com bined with phenacetin or other remedy.
Its analgesic properties are also mani fested in the alleviation of the pain in migraine, various forms of neuritis, and locomotor ataxia.
Gouguenheim and Caport value highly the internal use of salol in pharyngeal • inflammations, 5 grains (alone or com bined with equal parts of terebene in capsule) three times daily affording re lief, especially in those cases of chronic pharyngitis which are incident to the uric-acid diathesis. Combined with ter • pin hydrate (3 grains of each), it has been found useful in the treatment of bronchitis, catarrhal fever, and colds generally (S. Solis-Cohen). In influenza I the combination of salol with phenacetin or acetanilid will relieve the pains and discomforts attendant upon that dis ease.
Salol has been found of greatest value in the treatment of duodenal catarrh and catarrhal jaundice. In hepatic catarrh, when there is a tendency to inspissation of the bile and in cholelithiasis, salol appears to render the bile more fluid and relieve the general symptoms. In these cases 10 grains are given three times Gonorrhoea in all its stages is amen able to salol. Being excreted by the kid neys, the urethra is sterilized by the anti septic urine at every micturition. Salol may be combined with copaiba or sandal wood oil, which it dissolves without dif ficulty. J. William White, in recent urethritis, recommends the following in a capsule 4 to 6 times daily:— 4 Salol, 3 grains.
Oleoresin of cubebs, 5 grains. Balsam of copaiba (Para), 10 grains.
Pepsin, 1 grain.—M.
In a majority of cases he also uses an injection of 2 grains of zinc sulphocar bolate in a 10- to 15-per-cent. solution of hydrogen dioxide.