Chapter 3 begins with the warnings and benefits of Dr. Ashburton Thompson on phosphorus. Those consisting of the effects of phosphorus ointments and more to do with that subject.
Thompson's book Free Phosphorus, was published in 1874 and more than devoted to extolling the benefits phosphorus could bring to the relief of suffering humans. The use of phosphorus as an ointment was never really popular, but when used fascinated the patients by making them glow in the dark. At this time looking back it seems weird to us that such a poisonous element was used for medical treatment, but back then there was no bar as to what they used it for. Paracelsus was born in 1493. He was one to oppose the ancient idea, of disease being caused by an imbalance of "humours" in the body. His idea was that each disease that arose had a specific cause and therefore a chemical remedy. It was his idea and novel that caused many sorts of chemicals to be used as medical treatments, such as mercury treatments for syphilis; antimony for treating fevers; and bismuth for upset stomachs. The fact of them being deadly poisons didn't prevent them from being prescribed by physicians. Therefore, phosphorus being extracted from urine and glowed with its own source of light added to the attraction of it, the certain glow it had gave more evidence towards being the 'flammula vitae', or the vital flame of life.
The first person to sell phosphorus as a pharmaceutical treatment was Johann Lancke. He ran into a problem when he realized that phosphorus was extremely flammable and it needed to have a protective coating. He found he could use silver or gold for the coating. The metals could provide protection to prevent a pill from rapidly oxidizing and catching fire, but they were incapable of preventing its slow oxidation and thankfully converted most of the deadly poison into harmless oxides and acids. He began to sell the pills as 'Kunckel's pills' which increased popularity. Every pill weighed about 200 mg and was reputed as a beneficial treatment for colic, asthmatic fevers, tetanus, and gout. Of course, they were really useless in treating any of the above conditions, and if they were to really contain 200 mg of phosphorus they would have been severely poisonous. In some reported cases there were pills which contained 800 mg of phosphorus, and would have inevitably killed whoever took them. 'Kunckel's pills' ceased to be manufactured and he never revealed how to make them. The pills were unavailable until a French pharmacist rediscovered the means of producing them. He then too ceased making them once he found one pill could become fatal.
Treatment with phosphorus really seemed to spark with a discovery made by Professor Johann Thomas Huesing, in 1719 he discovered phosphorus in the brain tissue and the numbers were unexpectedly high, and the amount was higher than in any other body part. His findings implicated that phosphorus was rather important to the brain. This link between phosphorus and the brain was strengthened when a Dr. Kramer announced it was a remedy for epilepsy and melancholia, which is also known as depression. Later researchers and scientists began provide explanations for why humans differ so much in terms of mental ability, and that being: levels of phosphorus in the brain. A philosopher Friederich Nietzsche thought that chemicals in the body might have a determining influence on personality, etc.
Phosphorus acquired an undeserved reputation as a treatment for TB in 1796. It became considerably beneficial to the nervous system, and treating neuroglia, and bone conditions. It is still used as a nerve tonic to this day. It is proven that phosphorus is overall inevitably harmful, and less beneficial which is where the tweaks come in and phosphates are known more to be used, being less harmful.
P.S. Incredibly sorry that this post is so long, but this chapter was filled with great information and answers to questions I've been asking myself of treatments of phosphorus, and its harmfulness.
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