Some Observations on the History of the Use of Barium Salts in Medicine

INTRODUCTION THAT THE history of attempts aimed at introducing barium salts into medicine is both long and chequered is doubtless due to the highly beneficial yet also exceedingly poisonous qualities that were attributed to these compounds. The development of their use reveals an optimism in their healing powers as baseless as it was dangerous; and that more people did not succumb through the exuberance of zealous, if wellintentioned, doctors, and also through the occasional instances of mistaken identity that occurred in everyday life, must largely be ascribed to good fortune.