Effects of Large Doses of Chloramphenicol on Human Subjects

Abstract

WEN chloramphenicol first became available for general use in 1948, as one of the earliest broad-spectrum antibiotics, it was regarded as an important contribution to the treatment of infectious diseases. During 1950–52, however, numerous reports^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16} appeared suggesting a relation between the administration of chloramphenicol and the development of aplastic anemia and pancytopenia. A direct causal relation could not be established in most of the cases, but considerable alarm was engendered concerning the hazards of using this drug.^{17 18 19 20} This attitude toward chloramphenicol has recently been somewhat modified. It was estimated that 8,000,000 Americans had received chloramphenicol before 1953 without increase in . . .