Modifying the First Drug Against Syphillis to Treat Central Nervous System Disease


Swift, Homer
Courtesy of the Rockefeller Archive Center

When the Rockefeller Hospital opened in 1910, syphilis was one of five diseases chosen for study. At the time, it seemed that a solution to this public health problem was around the corner. The Wasserman test for diagnosing syphilis had been developed in 1906. And in 1910 a drug called Salvarsan became available, which had been developed in Germany by Paul Ehrlich with funding from John D. Rockefeller. But Salvarsan was derived from arsenic, and it was difficult to administer without toxic side effects. At the Rockefeller Hospital, Homer F. Swift (1881-1953) developed an effective way to give the drug, which remained in use until the 1940s when penicillin became the preferred treatment for syphilis.

Swift was most concerned with finding a way to treat the dementia and paralysis of late-stage syphilis. At this stage the spirochete that caused the disease had entered an infected person's central nervous system, and neither intramuscular nor intravenous injections of Salvarsan were effective. Working with Arthur W.M. Ellis, Swift developed a successful way to give the drug: first they injected Salvarsan intravenously into a patient; then they drew blood from the patient and separated the serum component, which contained the drug; and finally, they injected the serum into the patient's spinal fluid.

Homer F. Swift received the PhB (bachelor of philosophy) from Western Reserve University, and the MD from New York University Bellevue Medical College in 1906. In 1910 he became one of the first members of the medical staff of the Rockefeller Hospital. In 1914 he moved to Columbia University and in 1917 to Cornell University School of Medicine. During World War I he was a member of the Red Cross Trench Fever Commission. After the war Swift returned to Rockefeller, where he focused his research on rheumatic fever and rheumatic disease. Swift's accomplishments were recognized by an honorary degree from New York University (1931), the Kober Lectureship of the Association of American Physicians (1949), and the American Rheumatism Association Distinguished Service Award (1953). He served as president of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the American Heart Institute.

Selected Publications

Swift HF and Ellis AWM. The elimination of febrile reactions following intravenous injections of salvarsan. JAMA, 1911, 57: 2051-2053

Swift HF and Ellis AWM. The intensive treatment of syphilis. JAMA, 1912, 59: 1251-1254

Swift HF and Ellis AWM. The treatment of syphilitic affections of the central nervous system, with especial reference to the use of intraspinous injections. Arch Intern Med, 1913, 12: 331-345

Further Reading

Corner GW. A History of the Rockefeller Institute, 1901-1953: Origins and Growth. New York: Rockefeller Institute Press, 1964

Doctor Homer Fordyce Swift, 1881-1953. A memorial minute prepared by Dr. A. Dochez for presentation to the Board of Trustees. Rockefeller University Archives, record group 450Sw54, box 1, folder 1.