Introduction - Uppsala Monitoring Centre

erythema, spasmodic coryza, an attack of asthma, and after 4 hours
there were repeated attacks of spasmodic coryza and continuing
asthma while the urticaria began to subside. There was a positive
rechallenge. This became to be known as the ‘Widal syndrome’.
1921 Frederick Banting,Charles H Best, James B Collip and JJR Mcleod
purified insulin.
1924 Haber’s law (Zur Geschichte des Gaskrieges) [On the history of gas
warfare] says that the incidence and/or severity of a toxic reaction
depends on the total exposure, i.e. exposure to the drug x duration of
exposure. This law is applied in carcinogenicity testing (Haber,
1924).
1925 Therapeutic Substances Act (USA) regulated the manufacture and
sale of substances requiring biological testing.
Therapeutic Substances Act (UK) regulating manufacture, but not
sale of antitoxins, and sera, vaccines, posterior pituitary preparations,
insulin and arsenicals.
A French decree (July 13 th 1926) resolved the problem of secret
remedies. There had to be full disclosure of the quantity of active
ingredients and the name and place of the manufacturer on the
packing label (Berman,1970).
1927 Thyroxine synthesized.
Fleming discovered penicillin.
W Trevan created a marker for toxicity: LD 50 mgm/kilo body weight,
the median lethal dose.
In a discussion on blood-letting, at the RSM in 1927, it was said that
within the last decade it came to be discarded in hospital practice,
but persisted in private practice. In 1927 it was still being used for a
variety of conditions:
1. Right-sided heart failure (over distended heart, one of the
criteria being ‘lividity’)
2. Uraemic states following scarlatinal nephritis
3. Apoplectiform seizures
4. Status epilepticus
5. Heat stroke
6. Asphyxia by non-irritant gases
7. Acute alcoholic poisoning
8. Polycythaemia
9. High blood pressure
10. Pain caused by aneurysms