CONDIMENTS 91 



prevent pain or spasm (colic). They enter the blood un- 

 changed, and whilst partly oxydized by the red blood 

 corpuscles, leave the circulation mainly unaltered. They 

 are excreted by the lungs, skin, kidneys, liver, and probably 

 by the bowels. In passing through those structures they 

 stimulate and disinfect them." 



As it is now a well-known fact that the microbes of 

 malaria, fevers, etc., exist in the blood, it is quite obvious 

 that if the volatile oils enter the blood chemically unchanged 

 and leave it again mostly in this condition, they will exert 

 their antiseptic influence on the disease germs and kill 

 them. Of course what applies to the oils in their isolated 

 condition will apply to them when still in the bark or seed, 

 etc., used as spices. 



Richet * states that " Miquel has experimented with anti- 

 septics in order to see which are the most poiverful.^^ The 

 result has been to show that bichloride of mercury, etc., arc 

 the most powerful ; volatile oils and hydrocyanic acid 

 (prussic acid) are placed in the next class ; carbolic, oxalic, 

 tartaric, and citric acids in the third class ; boracic acid 

 and hydrolromide of qidnine in the 4th class. 



Foster (U.S.A.) j states that " Cadeac and Meunier have 

 experimented with about ten volatile oils in order to ascer- 

 tain the Jength of time required to kill the microbes of 

 typhoid fever. The only spice oils tried were oil of 

 cinnamon and oil of cloves. These beat all the others in 

 the rapidity with which they killed the microbes." The 

 microbes of malarial fever, cholera, and tropical dysentery, 

 so far as I know, have not been experimented with. All 



* « Dictioimcaire de Physiologie," 1897, vol. i., p. G08. 



t " Practical Therapeutics," vol. i., p. 448, under " Germicides." 



