salvarsan
/ˈsælvərˌsæn/
noun
- A drug formerly used to treat syphilis and other infections, containing arsenic; one of the first modern antimicrobial medicines.
- Doctors carefully injected salvarsan into patients, as it was toxic if not handled properly.
- The discovery of salvarsan marked the beginning of modern chemotherapy.
- Salvarsan was a breakthrough treatment for syphilis in the early 1900s.