Equipment and Museology
Gregory Higby, Elaine C. Stroud in The History of Pharmacy, 2018
Useful references and six illustrations showing different kinds of medicine spoons. Griffenhagen, George. “The Evolution of the Medicine Chest.”The Antiques Dealer 26 (Oct. 1974): 32–35 and (Nov., 1974): 37–39. A short survey history of medicine chests from ancient times to the twentieth century with emphasis on military and naval chests. Second part of the article contains listing of the titles of US medicine chest manuals from 1792 to 1839. 10 illustrations, [not seen]. Griffenhagen, George. “A History and Evolution of the Suppository Mold.”American Journal of Pharmacy 125 (1953): 135–42. A suppository is an easily fusible medicated mass that is introduced into an orifice of the body. A suppository mold is a piece of equipment that shapes that mass into form. This monograph is still the best general history of the suppository mold, illustrated with photographs of objects in the medical collections at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History. Useful notes and references to the early literature. Griffenhagen, George. “The Lost Art of Plaster Spreading.”American Professional Pharmacist 23 (1957): 139–43. Plasters, usually paste-like medicated substances spread directly on the skin or spread on materials such as muslin or linen and then adhered to the skin, have been used since ancient times. This article summarizes this history both chronologically and by types of plasters: Diachylon, leather, linen, Court, adhesive, porous, machine-made, and Burgandy pitch. There is also a section on plaster manufacturers and black-and-white photographs of plaster machines and spreaders. Griffenhagen, George.
Catalog of Herbs
James A. Duke in Handbook of Medicinal Herbs, 2018
Seeds are used to flavor aguardiente, a popular Latin American alcoholic beverage. Balsam fern is used in dental preparation to treat dry socket (postextraction alveolitis). Also, used in feminine hygeine sprays and as a fixative in creams, detergents, lotions, perfumes, and soap. Choco Indians use the powdered bark as an underarm deodorant. Peru balsam used extensively as a local protectant, rubefacient, parasiticide in certain skin diseases, antiseptic, and vulnerary, and applied externally as an ointment, or in alcoholic solutions; internally, rarely used as an expectorant. Dried fruits are sold in Guatemala for itch. An alcohol infusion is rubbed on in Cuba to alleviate headache and rheumatism. The resin is used for asthma, catarrh, rheumatism, gonorrhea, and to heal cuts and wounds. The balsam is used to treat venereal sores. Blended with castor oil or prepared as a tincture, it is used for chilblains, pediculosis, ringworm, and scabies. In suppositories, it is used for hemorrhoids and anal pruritis. Once used internally for amenorrhea, bronchitis, diarrhea, dysentery, dysmenorrhea, laryngitis, and leucorrhea. It is no longer used internally, at least in the U.S. Alcoholic extracts inhibit Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Yucatan natives take an alcoholic extract of pulverized fruits for amenorrhea and dysmenorrhea using the resin for osteomyelitis, wounds, and ulcers. Mexicans use the balsam for asthma, catarrh, and rheumatism. Choco apply the resin on the cheek for toothache. Choco Indians use it for the umbilical cord and uterine hemorrhage. Peruvian balsam contains about 60% cinnamein, a volatile oil, consisting mainly of benzyl cinnamate with some benzyl benzoate, resin esters (30 to 38%), vanillin, free cinnamic acid, and peruviol. Once the balsam is removed, the spent wood yields an essential oil containing 68 to 70% nerolidol. The seeds yield a “balsam” composed of 67.7% resin, 14.8% wax, 11.9% acid resin, 0.4% coumarin, 0.4% tannin, and 4.6% water. A few years ago Wahlberg et al. examined a hydrocarbon fraction containing: alpha-pinene, styrene, c/s-ocimene, p-cymene, alpha-bourbonene, alpha-copaene, beta-bourbonene, beta-elemene, carophyllene, alpha-curcumene, gamma-muurolene, alpha-muurolene, beta-selinene, δ-cadinene, alpha-cadinene, calamenene, and alpha-calacorene; a minor polar fraction containing cadalene, and 1,2-diaphenylethane and an oxygenated fraction containing benzylaldehyde, benzyl alcohol, ethyl benzoate, cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl alcohol, methyl cinnamate, ethyl cinnamate, benzyl benzoate, benzyl cinnamate, cinnamyl benzoate, and triterpenoid constituents.
When I Control the Pain, I Control My Life: Opioids and Opioid-Containing Analgesic Medication in the Management of Chronic Intractable Pain
Michael S. Margoles, Richard Weiner in Chronic PAIN, 2019
These medications are used for relief of moderate to severe pain. Some agents are also used for their anticoughing and antidiarrheal effects. Methadone, in addition to being an excellent analgesic medication, is also used in the detoxification (“detox”) of persons addicted to narcotics. It seems that methadone is a narcotic with low addiction potential. When using rectal morphine suppositories (RMS), take note of the following. There are two bases that can be used as a foundation for the manufacturing of RMS. One melts at a lower body temperature. Most of the more severely painful chronic intractable pain patients run basal temperatures around 98 degrees Fahrenheit. Therefore, the product made by Upsher-Smith is the correct RMS to be used for these patients, because it melts at lower body temperatures. If other brands are used, pain relief will be short (10–20 minutes), and the suppository will come out only partially dissolved.
A Historical Report on Preparing Sustained Release Dosage Forms for Addicts in Medieval Persia, 16th Century AD
Published in Substance Use & Misuse, 2018
Samaneh Soleymani, Arman Zargaran
For several centuries, opium addiction has been a social problem all over the world. It has been prevalent in Iran from the Safavid era (1501–1736 A.D). During this period, Hakim Imad al-Din Mahmud ibn-Mas'ud Shirazi (1515–1592 A.D), also known as Imad was one of the Persian physicians who wrote one of the earliest books in the field of opium and addiction (called Afiounieh) in history. In this book, he introduced two sustained release rectal (suppository) and oral (pill) dosage forms for Muslim addicts who fast in the month of Ramadan. He aimed to formulate them for these people so that they could keep fasting by using the slow release drugs. In these formulations, his innovation has important impacts in the history of both addiction and pharmaceutical sciences.
A comparative study on relieving post-episiotomy pain with diclofenac and indomethacin suppositories or placebo
Published in Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2014
Z. Rezaei, Z. Haghighi, G. Haeri, A. Hekmatdoust
In this study, we compare the prophylactic efficacy of a diclofenac suppository and an indomethacin suppository on decreasing post-episiotomy pain. A total of 90 women with 2nd-degree episiotomy were assigned to receive a single dose of diclofenac suppository (30), indomethacin suppository (30) or placebo (30), according to randomised blocks. The pain was assessed at 1, 2, 4, 6 and 12 hours after receiving analgesia, using the two methods of pain score and visual analogue. This study showed that in the group given diclofenac or indomethacin, at all the assessed hours, the pain measured was considerably less than in the suppository-free group (p < 0.05). Comparing the diclofenac and indomethacin groups, there were only significant differences in the 4 and 12 hour measurements: the diclofenac was more effective than the indomethacin (4th hour), but due to a shorter half-life, the diclofenac group in the 12th hour had more pain (p < 0.05). Diclofenac suppository is recommended at 4-hour intervals for all patients, without internal disorders, to decrease episiotomy pain.
Ketoprofen Suppository Dosage Forms: In Vitro Release and in Vivo Absorption Studies in Rabbits
Published in Drug Development and Industrial Pharmacy, 1999
A. Babar, T. Bellete, F. M. Plakogiannis
In vitro release of ketoprofen from suppository bases and in vivo absorption in rabbits were studied. Suppositories containing 50 mg of ketoprofen were prepared using theobroma oil, esterified (c10–c18) fatty acids, and polyethylene glycol 1000 bases. The displacement values of the drug were determined and found to be of the order of theobroma oil > esterified (c10–c18) fatty acids and polyethylene glycol 1000 bases. The suppository hardness data revealed that the theobroma oil base produced relatively brittle suppositories. Using the USP dissolution method, the release of ketoprofen was observed to be greatest from polyethylene glycol 1000 suppositories. With the dialysis technique, the maximum release of drug was obtained from theobroma oil suppository containing polysorbate 40 at a 6% level. Selected suppository formulations were evaluated for rectal absorption studies in rabbits. The in vivo data showed that the optimum drug absorption took place from the polyethylene glycol 1000 base and theobroma oil formulation containing 6% polysorbate 40.