THE NEW YORK JOURNAL OF PHARMACY 



in urine analysis. Gill and Grindley*"' 

 made extensive studies on the preser- 

 vation of urine by thymol and refri,^- 

 eration and obtained good results for 

 periods up to thirty-two days. How- 

 ever, it is very probable that the cold 

 and not the thymol was more impor- 

 tant in the preservation of the urines 

 studied. 



(4) Boric acid has little merit^ as a 

 preservative of urine, at least in 0.2% 

 concentration. 



(5) Ether in large quantities pre- 

 serves well, but volumetric relations 

 are thereby disturbed. 



(6) Formaldehyde cannot be con- 

 sidered a good preservative, because 

 it precipitates urea- and is a reducing 



substance. 



(7) Hydrogen peroxide (and its 

 stabilizer) interferes with many re- 

 actions in urine analysis and has feeble 

 bactericidal power.^ 



(8) Hydrochloric acid has nothing 

 to recommend it as a urinary pre- 

 servative. 



(9) Toluene preserves uric acid and 

 creatinine well. 



cThis Journal, 31, 695; Hawk and Grind- 

 ley, Proc. Am. Soc. Biol. Chem., 9, 10 

 (1907-8). 



iFor the feeble inhibitory action of boric 

 acid on diastatic ferments see Agullion, Conipt. 

 rend., 148, 1340; Ann. inst. Pasteur, 24, 495. 

 For other feeble preservative powers see 

 Kuehle, Pharni. Centr., 50, 559; Luchrig and 

 Sartori, Ibid., 49, 934. 



2Goldschmidt, Ber., 29, 1896; May, Deut. 

 Arch. klin. Med., 1900; de Jager, Z. physiol. 

 Chem., 64, no. For bacterial resistance to 

 formaldehyde, Tiraboschi, // policUn., 15, 39, 

 40. 



3Croner, Z. Hyg., 63, 319. 



(10) Sodium benzoate is a very 

 poor* preservative of urine. 



(11) Sodium arsenite is a fair pre- 

 servative of urine. 



(12) Sodium borate is a poor pre- 

 servative of urine. 



(13) Strychnine sidfate'' is a good 

 urinary preservative. 



(14) Sulfuric acid has no value as a 

 general preservative of urine ; it causes 

 too many reactions of hydrolysis and 

 oxidation and does not prevent bac- 

 terial change. 



(15) Since many bacteria are phenol- 

 forming," phenol cannot be expected to 

 have much preservative power; more- 

 over, it interferes with the analysis of 

 many components of urine. 



(16) Gallic acid has no value as a 

 preservative of urine. 



(17) Sandalwood oil, from the lim- 

 ited data given, indicates value as a 

 preservative. 



Summary. 



( 1 ) The ideal preservative must be 

 soluble, non-volatile, and neutral or 

 slightly acidic. 



(2) Different preservatives must be 

 employed for different purposes ; no 

 one preservative can prevent the change 

 of all the components. 



(3) The following may be consid- 

 ered poor preservatives of urine ; for- 



*For the action of sodium benzoate on 

 bacteria, Herter, /. biol. Chem., 7, 59; see 

 also, Lucas, Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med., 6, 

 122. 



•'•For the effective influence of strychnine 

 on bacteria see Scadikow, Centr. Bakt. Para- 

 sitcnk. I Aht., 60, 417. 



"Dobravotski, Ann. Inst. Pasteur, 24, 595. 



