STERILIZATION AND DISINFECTION. 117 



Kronig, as its boiling-point is i68-i78 C., and thus 

 sufficiently high to kill spores. The use of cumol for the 

 sterilization of catgut has been carefully investigated by 

 Clarke and Miller. 1 



Ligatures of silk and silkworm-gut are boiled in 

 water immediately before using, or are steamed with the 

 dressings, or placed in test-tubes plugged with cotton and 

 steamed in the steam sterilizer. 



At present, in most hospitals, instruments are boiled 

 before using in a 1-2 per cent, soda solution. Plain 

 water has the disadvantage of rusting the instruments, 

 and during the operation they are either kept in the boiled 

 water or in carbolic solution. Andrews makes special 

 mention of the fact that the instruments must be com- 

 pletely immersed to prevent rusting. 



During the operation the wound is frequently washed 

 with normal salt solution, applied by sterile marine or 

 gauze sponges. 



The water and the salt solution used for surgical pur- 

 poses are to be sterilized before using, either by steaming 

 for a prolonged period, or by the intermittent method. 

 Large hospitals are generally furnished with special appa- 

 ratus for supplying sterile distilled water in large quantity. 



To La Place belongs the credit of observing that the 

 efficacy of bichlorid of mercury is greatly increased by 

 the addition of a small amount of acid, by which the 

 penetration is increased and the formation of insoluble 

 albuminates lessened. 



The knowledge that the action of germicides is chem- 

 ical, and that the destruction of the bacteria is due to the 

 combination of the germicide with the mycoprotein, is 

 apt to lessen our confidence in the permanence of their 

 action. Geppert has shown of bichlorid of mercury that 

 in the reaction between it and anthrax spores the vitality 

 of the latter seems lost, but that the precipitation of the 

 bichlorid from this combination by the action of ammo- 

 nium sulphid restores the vitality of the spore. 



1 Bull, of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, Feb. and March, 1896. 



