170 GENERAL THERAPEUTICS FOR VETERINARIANS 



subsequently entirely revised on a scientific basis. Nevertheless, 

 the investigations which have been made up to this time have 

 furnished a series of important viewpoints concerning general 

 and special disinfection which may be regarded as a permanent 

 acquisition and as a preliminary foundation for a rational 

 and scientific system of disinfection. The foundation of the 

 modern antisepsis and disinfection must be explained first of 

 all. This explanation will include the meaning of the different 

 terms, antisepsis and asepsis, colyseptics (inhibit development) 

 and antiseptics (destroy bacteria); the methods of bacteriological 

 investigation; the differences in the individual bacteria and dis- 

 infectants; the differences between bacilli and spores; method of 

 action, form, concentration, application and properties of the indi- 

 vidual medicines; the relation of the animal body or the infected 

 object to the disinfectant; the cooperation of certain factors 

 (temperature, light) ; the importance of cleaning and preparation, 

 and the time and continuance of the disinfectant action. 



Antisepsis and Asepsis. — Starting with the conception that 

 infection of wounds could be prevented by the employment of 

 antiseptics — i.e., drugs which destroy bacteria — and by a carefully 

 applied dressing. Lister in 1867 recommended carbolic acid in con- 

 nection with the dressing named after him as a method of dis- 

 infecting wounds. Lister's dressing was applied as follows : After 

 the wound was cleaned with a 2 to 5 per cent, solution of carbolic 

 acid in water, and the air above it disinfected with a spray of the car- 

 bolic acid solution, it was covered with a piece of carbolized silk or 

 cotton (protective) ; over this was laid a thick layer of carbolized 

 gauze or cotton, which was covered with a piece of impervious cotton 

 material (mackintosh), and over all was placed a bandage of moist 

 carbolized gauze. In Germany, the Lister dressing was intro- 

 duced into general use between 1872 and 1875. Later, the car- 

 bolic spray was omitted and the dressing simplified. In 1880, 

 iodoform was substituted for carbolic acid and the dry bandage 

 took the place of the moist. Subsequently, iodoform was re- 

 placed in part by corrosive sublimate, creolin, lysol, tannoform, 

 tincture of iodine, and other disinfectants. 



