arsphenamine

[ ahrs-fen-uh-meen, -min ]

noun

, Pharmacology.

1. a yellow, crystalline powder, C 12 H 12 N 2 O 2 As 2 ⋅2HCl⋅2H 2 O, formerly used to treat diseases caused by spirochete organisms, especially syphilis and trench mouth: first known as “606.”

arsphenamine

/ -ˌmiːn; ɑːsˈfɛnəmɪn /

noun

1. a drug containing arsenic, formerly used in the treatment of syphilis and related infections

Word History and Origins

Origin of arsphenamine¹

First recorded in 1915–20; ars(enic) + phen(yl) + amine

Example Sentences

Popularly called 606 or Salvarsan, this Ehrlich remedy was technically a compound of arsenic known as arsphenamine.

From Time Magazine Archive

To kill the trench mouth spirochete, doctors usually swab their patients' swollen gums with hydrogen peroxide, silver salts or arsphenamine, prescribe mouthwashes of sodium perborate.

From Time Magazine Archive

So powerful is arsphenamine that doctors can give it only in single doses extending over a period of 18 months.

From Time Magazine Archive