INTRAMUSCULAR ABSORPTION OF SOME INSOLUBLE BISMUTH COMPOUNDS AS REVEALED BY THE ROENTGEN RAY

It is only since 1921 that bismuth has been employed in the treatment of syphilis. Yet if one were to judge from the amount of journal space devoted to this one phase of antisyphilitic therapy, one would be inclined to think that its use was as old as that of mercury. One need only recall how numerous are the different bismuth preparations already on the market.

These preparations, following the classifications of Levaditi,¹ can be roughly grouped under four main heads:

I. PREPARATIONS CONTAINING METALLIC BISMUTH  "Neo Trepol" containing 96 per cent. of pure bismuth (finely ground up and divided) serves as an example.

II. ORGANIC SALTS OF BISMUTH  Examples of this class may be enumerated as follows:The sodium and potassium bismuth tartrate (trepol) and other examples of this salt on the market containing from 50 to 60 per cent. of bismuth.Bismuth salicylate with 50 per cent,