In his novel "Love in the Time of Cholera," Gabriel Garcia Marquez is introducing the main character, the octegenarian Dr. Juvenal Urbino -- a prominent and eccentric physician. Dr. Urbino attributes his success in part to his routines, including a daily regimen of chemical palliatives etc. Marquez explains that Dr. Urbino arose each day at the crack of dawn and began taking his secret medicines, including potassium bromide "to raise his spirits." ... Geez, I guess that would clear your whites okay! Anybody ever heard of that!? -jeff buckels (albuquerque)

-- Jeff Buckels (jeffbuck@swcp.com), August 20, 2001

Answers

Potassium bromide is still used in many holistic/alternative regimens for the very purpose you describe in your question. Most often the chemical is used under the names Kalium bromat or Potassium bromat. I ran across this when searching for the correct translations into German and Italian in order to buy raw chemicals in Europe. A web search is sure to turn up more info. Regards, ;^D)

-- Doremus Scudder (ScudderLandreth@compuserve.com), August 20, 2001.

Will it give you one hundred years of solitude?

..........................................

-- Dave Willison (dwillisart@aol.com), August 21, 2001.

Hold on Dave....I'll see if I can find the MSDS sheet in our log book back here.

-- DK Thompson (kthompson@moh.dcr.state.nc.us), August 21, 2001.

Very strange, I remember talk of putting bromide in the tea of World War II British soldiers to prevent the 'raising of the spirits'.

Bo

-- Bob Ashford (bob@ashfordplatt.com), January 08, 2002.

Potassium bromide is used as a treatment for epilepsyin canines. Originally used to discourage masturbation in people, it was found coincidentally to releive seizures. It was used for many years in humans,but since other drugs came along is no longer prescribed. Except in dogs, where it greatly improves the efficacy of the usual drugs for dogs with refractory seizures, or if the normally prescribed drugs are affecting liver toxicity. Unfortunately it takes a month to be effective, and 2-3 months to be fully effective, so cannot be used alone in the early stages. It does have side effects such as ravenous appetite, some incordination, sometimes depression, and weight gain.

-- Marlene Thoms (marlenethome@hotmail.com), March 11, 2002.

Hmmm, very interesting. Marlene, my Newfoundland mix is epileptic, but will the bromide stop his darned masturbating?

-- Wayne (wsteffen@skypoint.com), March 12, 2002.