Revista de investigación y desarrollo de educación para la salud

Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet - and the Curse of Injections

Abstract

Wyatt HV

Ehrlich made more than 600 arsenic compounds, one of which, Salvarsan, cured the disease of syphilis. Later, one injection was found to cure in ten days, the terrible, disfiguring, tropical yaws. This Magic Bullet seemed a miracle, but the injection itself was absorbed into local cultures so that all treatments were given with injections. However, hepatitis and HIV were transmitted to tens of millions by injections. Probably 16 billion injections are made every year, many unnecessary and unsterile. WHO has adopted a campaign for the use of ‘once only’ syringes, but most injections are given outside the health services, and syringes are used many times without cleaning or sterilizing. It is these injections which must be stopped.