THE RATE OF DIFFUSION OF SODIUM SALICYLATE AND SALICYLIC ACID IN VARIOUS VEHICLES
Dermatological ointments and lotions have been prescribed by the dermatologist for a variety of purposes. Contact dermatitis is an eczematous inflammation of the skin resulting from exposure of its unbroken surface to foreign material. It may result either from the primary irritant effect of the causative agent or from a specific acquired allergic sensitization to an agent which is not irritating on first contact. An ointment or lotion base should release the medicament in sufficient concentration so that it may diffuse throughout the elements of the tissue being treated. The use of salicylates in drug therapy has been recorded as early as the time of Hippocrates. Dioscorides used a decoction of willow leaves or of the ash of willow bark for the removal of corns and in treating ear-ache, skin diseases and gout. Salicylic acid has been used as a medicament in this study because it is a therapeutic agent used in derma-tology and it is one that has been frequently included in transfer investigations. Sodium salicylate is a salt of salicylic acid and, therefore, closely related chemically but has water solubility properties differing from those of salicylic acid.
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