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Salvarsan

English translation: Salvarsan

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:Salvarsan
English translation:Salvarsan
Entered by: Helga

05:30 Mar 12, 2002
German to English translations [PRO]
Medical
German term or phrase: Salvarsan
Appear on a list of toxic substances. Is it the same in English?
Helga
Local time: 10:01
Salvarsan
Explanation:
Around 1900 in Frankfurt, Germany, a pharmacologist named Paul Ehrlich (not to be confused with The Population Bomb author) became preoccupied with the violently poisonous nature of arsenic. Ehrlich, however, was convinced that the toxic potential of arsenic could be harnessed and used therapeutically as a treatment for diseases such as syphilis. By chemically attaching arsenic to various carbon and hydrogen (organic) structures, he hoped to make it less accessible to binding cites on cells that produce adverse affects for humans and more specifically toxic for the infectious organisms. The search was tedious to say the least.

Ehrlich patiently threaded his way through 604 different organic compounds of arsenic before he literally stumbled on number 605 to which he gave the grandiose name of Salvarsan. With brilliant insight, he even postulated that its antimicrobial activity might involve the binding of Salvarsan to sulfur groups on the microbes. As toxicologists now know, arsenic - and many other metals - are strongly attracted to sulfur; some of the sulfur in human proteins is critical to biological function. Salvarsan became the first drug that was safe enough to be given to humans and to be truly effective against the dread spirochete bacteria that causes syphilis. It was to be replaced immediately on the discovery of penicillin, but Salvarsan deserves its place in history.

Selected response from:

Marcus Malabad
Canada
Grading comment
Very impressive information. Thanks to both of you for the verification. Helga
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4Salvarsan
Sabine Tietge
4Salvarsan
Marcus Malabad


  

Answers


3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Salvarsan


Explanation:
same in English

Sabine Tietge
Local time: 07:31
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 730
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Salvarsan


Explanation:
Around 1900 in Frankfurt, Germany, a pharmacologist named Paul Ehrlich (not to be confused with The Population Bomb author) became preoccupied with the violently poisonous nature of arsenic. Ehrlich, however, was convinced that the toxic potential of arsenic could be harnessed and used therapeutically as a treatment for diseases such as syphilis. By chemically attaching arsenic to various carbon and hydrogen (organic) structures, he hoped to make it less accessible to binding cites on cells that produce adverse affects for humans and more specifically toxic for the infectious organisms. The search was tedious to say the least.

Ehrlich patiently threaded his way through 604 different organic compounds of arsenic before he literally stumbled on number 605 to which he gave the grandiose name of Salvarsan. With brilliant insight, he even postulated that its antimicrobial activity might involve the binding of Salvarsan to sulfur groups on the microbes. As toxicologists now know, arsenic - and many other metals - are strongly attracted to sulfur; some of the sulfur in human proteins is critical to biological function. Salvarsan became the first drug that was safe enough to be given to humans and to be truly effective against the dread spirochete bacteria that causes syphilis. It was to be replaced immediately on the discovery of penicillin, but Salvarsan deserves its place in history.




    Reference: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~toxmetal/TXSHas.htm
Marcus Malabad
Canada
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in TagalogTagalog
PRO pts in pair: 1798
Grading comment
Very impressive information. Thanks to both of you for the verification. Helga
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



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