A chemical compound containing arsenic and oxygen that was used historically in medicine and antiseptics.
From French aroxyle, formed from Latin arsenicum (arsenic) + Greek oxys (sharp, acid). The term emerged in the 19th century when chemists were naming arsenic-based compounds.
Aroxyl represents a fascinating period in medical history when arsenic compounds were actually thought to be helpful—they were used as antiseptics before we fully understood how toxic arsenic really is to the human body.
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