January 12, 1893] 



NATURE 



247 



inces could ensue owing to its being absorbed ; this is well 

 known to b» the fact with some antiseptics, as in carbolic acid 

 applications rir in the use of perchloride of mercury." 



Does not all this clearly establish the claim of " Aminol" to 

 be called not only a true disinfectant, but a most potent and a 

 most saf- one at the same time ? 



But with all this ([ mean what relates to its effect on anthrax 

 spores) its application in medical and surgical practice has 

 nothing to do, unless it be to demonstrate its comparative po- 

 tency, for, a- Dr. Klein himself points out in his report, "The 

 spores of Bacillus anthracis may be left out of consideration, as 

 they do not occur in the living body ; under these conditions the 

 Bacillus anthracis is always sp ireless ; a malignant carbuncle of 

 the skin contains the Bacillus anthracis only in. the sporeless 

 state, and in infection with anthrax generally the bacilli are 

 always in the sporefree stale both in the blood and in the 

 tissues." 



What is of real importance in practice is the effect of " Ami- 

 nol " on the other pathogenic germs on which Dr. Klein has j 

 tested it. And here again his letter sta'tes the case in a manner 1 

 which is apt to mislead : " Anthrax bacilli. Staphylococcus 

 "Xitreus and others were destroyed, but only after a lengthy ex- 

 posure." 



Now what does his report say? " Series V. From this series 

 it will be seen, therefore, that the solution used in the same 

 (i in 600) acted very differently from that used in the previous 

 experiments (i in 6000) inasmuch as the Staphylococcus aureus, 

 which was not killed heretofore in eight hours, was in this 

 instance completely disinfected in that time, and was consider- 

 ably reduced even in one hour. The sporeless Bacillus anthracis. 

 Bacillus diphtheria:, z.n^ Streptococcus erysipelatis were killed in 

 one hour." Can it be fairly said, then, that these were killed 

 only after lengthy exposure, and does the word " only" apply at all 

 to the one-hour results, when it is considered that there was no 

 test made under the one hour? Whai is there to show that those | 

 of which there was no growth after one hour's exposure to the 

 disinfectant had not been killed after ten minutes already? 



Does it not look, then, as if Dr. Klein had penned his letter 

 without consulting either his notes or his report? 



A word in conclusion. Dr. Klein, for whom perhaps nobody 

 entertains a hither personal regard than myself, may rest assured 

 that the designation, " a true disinfectant," is meant by me to 

 apply only to such strengths of solutions of "Aminol" as can 

 compete with those substances and their respective strengths to 

 which Koch has accorded that appellation. Nor need he to 

 apprehend that anything has been or will ever be done by me 

 intentionally committing him to what is not fully warranted 

 by his actual results as recorded in his authorized published 

 report. Hugo Wollheim. 



loi, Leadenhall Street, E.G., January 2. 



The point at issue between Mr. Wollheim and myself is a 

 very simple one, and needs no long explanation on behalf of 

 Mr. Wollheim. As you will see from the letter which you 

 kindly printed in Nature, ante, p. 149, Mr. Wollheim, with- 

 out my authority, has sent round a leaflet with my name on it, 

 accompanying bottles of "Aminol," stated to be "a true 

 disinfectant." 



1. On this leaflet my name is introduced in a somewhat mis- 

 leading manner, for it quotes to a large extent from my reports 

 on the lime and brine experiments on microbes without saying 

 so, but leavinsi the reader to infer that these reports of mine 

 refer to " Aminol." j 



2. Mr. Wollheim never asked my permission or informed me 1 

 of his intention of sending with each sample bottle of " Ami- j 

 nol " such a leaflet. It is unnecessary to say that had he 

 asked me whether he could use my name on a wrapper of a 

 patent medicine I should have emphatically answered no. 

 He has recently informed me that he has cancelled the leaflet. 



3. The samples of " Aminol " sent out were of the strength 

 -of I in 5000, the experiments in which I showed that "Ami 

 nol " possesses a certain disinfecting power were made with a j 

 strength of i in 600. This strength did not kill spores of ; 

 anthrax in 12 hours; I in 6000 did not kill Staphylococcus 

 aureus in 8 hours. 



A substance which, like the "Aminol" sent out (viz. i in 

 5000), cannot kill Staphylococcus aureus in 8 hours, and has 

 practically no effect on spores of Bacillus anthracis cannot be 

 considered "a true disinfectant." 



To show that Mr, Wollheim had a very strange idea about 



NO. 12 I I, VOL. 47] 



the whole matter, one has only to compare the actual facts 

 of the case, as regards "Aminol" of the strength of i in 

 5000, with the motto put on the leaflet and the inscription on 

 the label of the samples. For Mr. Wollheim quotes Koch 

 to the effect that no di.'-infectant can be called a true disinfectant 

 that does not kill spores, and notwithstanding that I have 

 shown that "Aminol" even of the strength of i in 600 cannot 

 kill spores in 12 hours, yet Mr. Wollheim advertises the 

 "Aminol " of the strength of i in 5000 as "a true disinfect- 

 ant." A true disinfectant kills spores after short exposure ; a 

 substance that requires many hours to do so cannot claim the 

 name of a specific disinfectant. Vinegar, dilute acids, alkalies, 

 and a host of substances affect spores after exposure for many 

 hours (8, 12, and 24 hours), yet no one would consider these 

 substances as specific disinfectants. 



Again, a substance used in a certain strength (say I in 600) 

 may have considerable disinfecting power on non-spore bearing 

 microbes, with or without having any conspicuous action on 

 spores. The same substance more diluted (say I in 5000) may 

 have retained such action only to a very insignificant degree. 

 Take for instance perchloride of mercury ; while this substance 

 is a powerful disinfectant when used in the strength of I in 

 500, I in 1000, even I in 2000, it has greatly less effect when 

 used in more increased dilution. 



No one is justified in advertising perchloride of mercury of 

 the strength of I in 100,000 as " a true disinfectant," knowing 

 that I in 500 or i in 1000 only can be so called. How much 

 more does this hold good for a substance like " Aminol," 

 which even in the strength of i in 600 does not kill the spores 

 of anthrax in 12 hours, a period which for practical purposes of 

 disinfection is out of the question. E. Klein. 



19, Earl's Court Square, S.W., January 9. 



Super-abundant Rain, 



In Nature of November 10 the fact that "very nearly one- 

 third " of the annual rainfall fell in one month at Nant-y-Glyn, 

 in North Wales, is recorded as " remarkable." 



But at Peshawar, on the north-west frontier of India, we 

 received during last August a rainfall of 1775 inches, the aver- 

 age local annual fall, calculated from the last fifteen years, being 

 1 3 '5 1 inches. 



We therefore had very nearly sixteen months fall in one 

 month, and by far the largest portion of this fell in ten days of 

 the month. 



I need hardly add that the whole valley was flooded, and 

 that we have since paid for our super-abundant rain in the form 

 of very prevalent and fatal malarious fever. H. Collett. 



Peshawar, December 19, 1892. 



Earthquake Shocks. 



There were two unmistakable shocks of earthquake on the 

 afternoon of Tuesday, January 3, the first at 2h. 15m. 15s. 

 G.M.T., and the second at 2h. 17m. I was sitting in a railway 

 carriage at Severn Junction Station waiting for the Bristol pas- 

 sengers, when I felt a sensible upward movement of the seat 

 (as if pushed from below) and saw the carriage sway. The 

 movement was from south to north {i.e. at right angles to the 

 railway). This was repeated four times in about six seconds. 

 At 2h. 17m. there were two more (less strong) shocks. The 

 carriage was placed in a siding, and there was no train at the 

 station, and the air was calm and frosty. Ice was said to have 

 cracked near here at this time. E. J. Lowe. 



Shirenewton Hall, Chepstow. 



A Brilliant Meteor, 



On Wednesday, January 7, at about 6.35 p.m., I was fortu- 

 nate enough to see a brilliant meteor descending a little north of 

 Castor. My attention was drawn to it by the brilliant light it 

 threw over the country. The head was a ball of dazzling white 

 and the tail yellow, with red streaks. It disappeared before 

 reaching the earth, and I heard no report or rushing sound 

 whatever. 



As the duration was only a few seconds ^the above are more 

 impressions than observations. W. Pollard. 



Pirton, Herts, January 7. 



