noun
- an arsenic-containing compound formerly used as a treatment for syphilis
Usage: medical; historical
Examples
- Salvarsan was developed by Paul Ehrlich in the early 1900s.
- Before penicillin, salvarsan was the primary treatment for syphilis.
- The discovery of salvarsan marked a breakthrough in chemotherapy.
- Doctors administered salvarsan through intravenous injection.
- Salvarsan was eventually replaced by safer antibiotics.
- The compound salvarsan contained arsenic, which made it toxic.