332 INFECTIONS OF THE DIGESTIVE TRACT 



for a time, and may thus do harm to the structures on 

 which normal secretion depends. I do not feel that the 

 subject of intestinal antisepsis has been developed in a 

 scientific manner, and very carefully planned experi- 

 ments may yet teach us that certain substances possess 

 considerable value when used under appropriate con- 

 ditions. At present antiseptics are used in an empirical 

 and usually unintelligent way. It seems to me on theo- 

 retical grounds that agents which exert an oxidizing 

 action in the large intestine are among those worthy of 

 careful study. Some of the oxides of manganese liberate 

 their oxygen slowly and would appear on this account 

 to be suitable for studies of this kind. There is, indeed, 

 some evidence that the dioxide of manganese may act 

 beneficially upon putrefactive processes in the large 

 intestine, but a scientific demonstration of the fact is, 

 I believe, lacking. 



Experiments made by Dr. Wakeman at my suggestion 

 in reference to the action of oxidizing substances upon 

 the contents of the large intestine did not give results 

 encouraging to the view that such agents are likely to 

 be in a high degree efficient in mitigating the activities 

 of putrefactive anaerobes. He experimented with dogs 

 showing a high degree of indicanuria and injected into 

 the large intestine at various points a solution of hydro- 

 gen peroxide. In other experiments ferric sulphate 

 was used as a catalyzer in recognition of the fact that 

 the presence of this salt in small quantities renders cer- 

 tain oxidations of organic material much more efficient. 

 Different percentages, ranging from one-half of one per 



