The experimental treatment of trypanosomiasis in animals

Abstract

Numerous drugs have been tried in endeavouring to find a therapeutical agent which would cause trypanosomes to disappear from the blood. Of all those tried, arsenic and trypan red are the only ones exhibiting a marked influence on the parasites. On account of the liability of the appearance of toxic symptoms, the proneness to sloughing at the site of inoculation, and the oftentimes considerable disturbance which occurred after the subcutaneous administration of sodium arseniate, I decided to try if other compounds would be more satisfactory in the treatment of trypanosomiasis. The arsenic preparation which has given the best results is a compound of arsenic and aniline C 6 H 5 No 2 As (meta-arsensaure anilid, atoxyl), a preparation which has of recent years been used intravenously and subcutaneously in the treatment of skin diseases and anæmia.