Salvarsan

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A synthetic antimicrobial drug historically used to treat syphilis and other infections caused by certain parasites
2. A chemotherapeutic agent developed in the early 20th century that was primarily effective against spirochete bacteria
3. An early form of arsenic-based medication that played a significant role in the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, particularly syphilis

Etymology: "Salvarsan" fuses two ideas: the Latin "salvare," meaning "to save," and "arsenic," because the drug was an arsenic compound. The name thus pairs a notorious poison with the promise of a cure, a deliberate contrast for a medicine aimed at a disease that had no reliable treatment. Before it, syphilis was usually treated with mercury, which was often as damaging as the disease. The arsenic-based drug was a synthetic chemical rather than a natural remedy, which made it an early example of a compound designed to attack one specific infection.