Sulfathiazole is an organosulfur compound that has been used as a short-acting sulfa drug

Sulfonamide (medicine)

Sulfonamide or sulphonamide is the basis of several groups of drugs. The original antibacterial sulfonamides are synthetic antimicrobial agents that contain the sulfonamide group. Some sulfonamides are also devoid of antibacterial activity, e.g., the anticonvulsant sultiame...

. It once was a common oral and topical antimicrobial

Antimicrobial

An anti-microbial is a substance that kills or inhibits the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, or protozoans. Antimicrobial drugs either kill microbes or prevent the growth of microbes...

 until less toxic alternatives were discovered. It is still occasionally used, sometimes in combination with sulfabenzamide

Sulfabenzamide

Sulfabenzamide is an antibacterial/antimicrobial. Often used in conjunction with sulfathiazole and sulfacetamide as a topical, intravaginal antibacterial preparation....

 and sulfacetamide

Sulfacetamide

Sulfacetamide is a sulfonamide antibiotic.-Uses:Sulfacetamide 10% topical lotion, sold under the brand name Klaron or Ovace, is approved for the treatment of acne and seborrheic dermatitis. When combined with sulfur, it is sold under the brand names Plexion, Clenia, Prascion, and Avar, which...

, and in aquarium

Aquarium

An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...

s.

It exists in various forms (polymorph

Polymorphism (materials science)

Polymorphism in materials science is the ability of a solid material to exist in more than one form or crystal structure. Polymorphism can potentially be found in any crystalline material including polymers, minerals, and metals, and is related to allotropy, which refers to chemical elements...

s). The imide tautomer

Tautomer

Tautomers are isomers of organic compounds that readily interconvert by a chemical reaction called tautomerization. This reaction commonly results in the formal migration of a hydrogen atom or proton, accompanied by a switch of a single bond and adjacent double bond...

 is dominant, at least in the solid state. In this tautomer, the proton residing on the ring nitrogen (not the structure shown above).

Cultural references

Sulfathiazole is mentioned in chapter 104 of Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was a 20th century American writer. His works such as Cat's Cradle , Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions blend satire, gallows humor and science fiction. He was known for his humanist beliefs and was honorary president of the American Humanist Association.-Early...

's novel Cat's Cradle

Cat's Cradle

Cat's Cradle is the fourth novel by American writer Kurt Vonnegut, first published in 1963. It explores issues of science, technology, and religion, satirizing the arms race and many other targets along the way...

, and several of his short stories. Thoma Heggen's 1946 novel Mister Roberts

Mister Roberts

Mister Roberts is a 1946 novel written by Thomas Heggen.-Plot:The title character, a Lieutenant Junior Grade naval officer, defends his crew against the petty tyranny of the ship's commanding officer during World War II...

 mentions the use of sulfathiazole to treat gonorrhea

Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is a common sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The usual symptoms in men are burning with urination and penile discharge. Women, on the other hand, are asymptomatic half the time or have vaginal discharge and pelvic pain...

. Also the 1998 movie Dead Heat mentions the chemical as a drug used with reanimation of dead bodies.