DEODORIZERS AND DISINFECTANTS. 



271 



acid were then carefully placed in the cup of the brass 

 wick. The heat soon melted the acid and raised its 

 vapour round the platinum spiral, but without occa- 

 sioning any alteration in the brightness of its glow." 



These experiments, with others not quoted here, 

 we think with Mr. Crookes, prove conclusively that 

 the tar acids have no special power of preventing oxi- 

 dation. 



Deodorizers and Disinfectants. In the following 

 important experiments, Mr. Crookes points out in a 

 striking manner the difference between a mere deodo- 

 rizer and an antiseptic, like carbolic acid : 



" Some meat was hung up till the odour of putrefac- 

 tion was strong; it was then divided into two pieces ; 

 one was soaked for half-an-hour in chloride of lime 

 solution, and was then washed and hung up again ; the 

 offensive smell had entirely gone. The other piece of 

 meat was soaked in a solution of carbolic acid con- 

 taining one per cent, of the acid ; it was then dried 

 and hung up. The surface of the meat was whitened, 

 its offensive odour was not removed, though it was 

 masked by that of the carbolic acid. In two days the 

 bad odour had quite gone, and was replaced by a pure 

 but faint smell of carbolic acid. In a few weeks' 

 time, the pieces of meat were examined agam. The 

 piece which had been deodorized with chloride of 

 lime now smelt as offensively as it did at first, whilst 

 the piece treated with carbolic acid had simply dried 

 up, and had no offensive odour whatever. It was then 



