572 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



wheat flour, besides being used as a disinfectant for ships, 

 stables, etc. ; third, chloralum wool, or wadding, for dressing 

 wounds; disinfecting coffins, etc. ; finally, the solution of chlo- 

 ralum as a very effective fertilizer, for which purpose it is 

 absolutely worthless. Professor Fleck finds chloralum as a 

 disinfectant even less active than alum, sulphate of alumina, 

 or sulphate of iron, while its price is so exorbitant that it 

 must be considered fraudulent. As a medical preparation he 

 declares it highly dangerous, and earnestly warns the public 

 against its use, it being contaminated with lead, copper, etc., 

 and advises them not to be deceived by the similarity of the 

 name to chloral hydrate, with which it has nothing in com- 

 mon. 28 C, March, 1872. 



PROTOXIDE OF HYDROGEN AS A DISINFECTANT. 



According to Dr. Day, of Victoria, the protoxide of hydro- 

 gen may be used to excellent advantage in destroying the 

 infectious property of pus globules, its effect in cases of small- 

 pox having been very decidedly marked. Microscopical 

 Journ al, February, 1872,79. 



IODINE AS A DISINFECTANT. 



It is stated that an excellent method of disinfecting rooms 

 in periods of epidemics consists in exposing to the air a piece 

 of dry iodine, care being taken to prevent the access of chil- 

 dren to it, as it is poisonous. An ounce of iodine will an- 

 swer for an entire month. 9 C, February, 1872, 27. 



THEORY OF DISINFECTING POW r DERS. 



A recent treatise upon carbolic acid and its compounds 

 discussed the general theory of disinfecting powders, espe- 

 cially those containing carbolic acid, and ascribes the virtues 

 of the latter in preventing putrefaction to their poisoning the 

 germs in the air before they reach the mass, and filtering out 

 the elements which dispose to putrefaction. This is perhaps 

 due to another cause their power to absorb water from a 

 moist putrescible material. After showing the power of car- 

 bolic acid to prevent fermentation and putrefaction, the au- 

 thor of the treatise examines its position among other agents 

 having like powers, and from the fact that its chemical con- 

 stitution is similar to the bulk of the fermentescible mass, 



