Gold in medicine

Abstract

It was natural that the exceptional properties of gold and the mystique surrounding the metal should induce man to seek medicinal applications for it. These attempts met with no apparent success until a few decades ago, when the efficacy of gold compounds in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis was confirmed. Nevertheless, they form an important, and sometimes colourful, part of the history of pharmacology and medicine. © 1982 World Gold Council.