Ichthyol

Ichthyol, Ichthyolum (FUP), was first prepared by the Hamburg firm Cordes from shales found as a rock near Seefeld (Tyrol). These shales, rich in remains of fossil fish and other marine animals, yield upon dry distillation so-called raw ichthyol oil, insoluble in water, containing 10-11% sulfur in bound form—as homologs of thiophene I

/S, mainly methyl-, methyl-ethyl-, and propyl-thiophenes, as well as various hydrocarbons and in smaller quantities—nitrogenous compounds. It is the starting product for obtaining ichthyol preparations, of which the most important is sulfonic ammonium ichthyol, usually called simply I. It is obtained by treating raw ichthyol oil with strong sulfuric acid and then neutralizing with ammonia solution the sulfonic ichthyolic acid precipitated by saturated NaCl solution. I. has the appearance of a syrupy liquid of reddish-brown color, which readily dissolves in water, only partially in alcohol and ether, and completely in a mixture of equal parts by volume. It contains about 55-56% dry substance, consisting mainly of ammonium salts of sulfated thiophene homologs, as well as salts of alkylsulfonic acids and ammonium sulfate; in general, the sulfur content, bound in the form of the indicated compounds, is about 11%. I. possesses antiseptic properties, but weaker than carbolic acid. On intact skin it produces a moderate local irritant and presumably vasoconstrictive effect, from which the main therapeutic benefit of I. in certain skin diseases depends. In addition, the presence in it of sulfur bound to organic compounds gives it keratolytic and keratoplastic properties. Its local irritant effect when taken per os in too large quantities can cause diarrhea, but its resorptive toxic effect is expressed in a very weak degree. In moderate doses, I. taken internally increases appetite and promotes the process of gastrointestinal digestion. I. is partly excreted through the kidneys, increasing the sulfur content in urine, and partly through the intestines. Soon after its introduction into therapeutic practice, I. became widely used in the treatment of many diseases, but at present its application has become more limited. I. is used mainly externally: for erysipelas (solution 10:30, liniment or ointment 15-20:100); for burns and various skin diseases (10-30% solution or 2-5% ointment); in gynecological practice as an antiseptic and promoting the resolution of infiltrations (10% glycerin solution on tampons); for gonorrhea in men (0.5-3% solution for douches) and in women (10-20% solution on tampons); in ophthalmological practice for conjunctivitis and blepharitis (solution 0.3-0.5:30.0); for scarlet fever, gout, typhus in the form of 10-15 minute baths (60.0 per bath).-Internally it is better in pills as a gastrointestinal antiseptic and tonic (0.1 and more, three times a day); in cachexia, eczema and various skin diseases (up to 1.0, starting with 0.2 and increasing the dose). In Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Japan and other countries, identical preparations to ichthyol and its substitutes under various names have begun to be produced partly from their own bituminous shales: Litol, Lithyol, Petrosulfol, Ichthyodin, Ich-thammon, etc. Since 1923, the production of I. Ichthyol-ammonium rossicum, obtained from Volga bituminous shales (Tatar Republic), has been established in the USSR; in sulfur content, bound in the form of organic and inorganic compounds, it is very close to the original foreign I.; it is used as the latter. Preparations. Ichthalbin, Ichthalbin, is obtained as a precipitate when a solution of protein is treated with a solution of sulfonic ichthyolic acid; a very fine grayish-brown powder, almost tasteless, insoluble in water; it is not changed by the action of gastric juice and decomposes only in the intestine into protein and I.; it acts like I., without irritating the stomach; for adults 1.0-2.0 three times a day before meals, for children up to 1.0. Ichthargan, Ichthargan, is a compound of ichthyol and silver (approx. 30%); a dark-colored powder, soluble in water, glycerin and diluted alcohol; used for gonorrhea—for douches (0.02-0.2%); for psoriasis and chronic eczema (5-10% ointment). Ichthoform, Ichthoform, is a compound of formic aldehyde with sulfonic ichthyolic acid; a dark brown powder almost without odor and taste, insoluble in water and acids and only partially soluble in alcohol and ether; an intestinal disinfectant and partly analgesic, very little poisonous, given internally for typhoid and intestinal tuberculosis (0.5-2.0 pro dosi, 8.0 pro die).-Among substances acting similarly to I. are preparations such as bitumol (see), tigenol, thiol, tumenol, some of which are obtained like ichthyol but from other resinous shales, others by synthetic means.