Summary
Drug, Novarsenobillon (Neoarsphenamine), manufactured by May & Baker Ltd., Dagenham, England, 1945. Stocked in the pharmacy of a mental health hospital in Victoria, Australia. Novarsenobillon was the trade name under which the drug was marketed by May & Baker, the active ingredient being neoarsphenamine.
Neoarsphenamine was used in the treatment of syphilis. Tertiary syphilis was a common cause for mental health conditions. Also known as Neosalvarsan, it superseded Salvarsan due to its lower toxicity. Both arsenicals still carried significant risk of side-effects and were themselves replaced by penicillin in the 1940s. Prior to the use of arsphenamine and neoarsphenamine, syphilis was treated with the malarial fever cure developed by Austrian psychiatrist Julius Wagner-Jauregg.
Physical Description
The drug novarsenobillon (neoarsphenamine) is contained in a long thin, oblong, orange, cardboard box, which is sealed. Probably in an ampoule. Contains 0.90gm.
Significance
Example of pharmaceuticals prescribed at mental health hospitals in Victoria, Australia.
More Information
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Collection Names
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Collecting Areas
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Acquisition Information
Donation from Office of Psychiatric Services, May 1985
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Manufacturer
May & Baker Ltd, Dagenham, Essex, England, Great Britain, 1945
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Place & Date Used
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Manufacturer
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Inscriptions
Text: NOVARSENOBILLON/NEOARSPHENAMINE/NO 122A/Manufactured in England by May & Baker Ltd. under License No 15 and tested...
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Classification
Medicine & health, Mental health - pharmacy, Pharmaceuticals
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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References
British pharmaceutical codex, 1963. London. Pharmaceutical Press
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Keywords
Hospitals, Psychiatric Services, Mental Health Institutions, Pharmaceuticals, Diseases, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), Syphilis, Mental Health, Drugs