254 MICROBES, FERMENTS, AND MOULDS. 



He analysed in this way twenty substances con- 

 sidered to be antiseptic, or commonly used as such. 

 He has published a table in which these substances 

 are classified in their order of activity, and it includes 

 among others the following antiseptics, which we cite 

 in the order assigned to them : 



Corrosive sublimate (mercuric chloride) ... ... No. 1 



Chloride of lime at 98 No. 3 



Sulphurous acid No. 4 



Essence of mustard No. 9 



Thymol No. 13 



Salicylic acid No. 14 



Carbolic acid No. 16 



Boracic acid No. 18 



Alcohol No. 19 



Essence of eucalyptus No. 20 



The three last substances are incapable of steri- 

 lizing culture broths. 



This table shows that carbolic acid, which is now 

 so much in use, does not destroy microbes so efficiently 

 as salicylic acid, permanganate of potassium, thymol, 

 benzoic acid, bromides, and iodine. In this estimate, 

 however, we must take into account how far the use 

 of each antiseptic is practicable. 



Thus, corrosive sublimate, which these experiments 

 show to be the best antiseptic, can be used as an 

 external lotion, but it cannot be given internally in 

 doses sufficient to produce the desired effect. Eighty 

 milligrammes are required to sterilize a litre of broth, 

 and forty to arrest the development of bacteria. 

 Twenty milligrammes will not effect this result, and 



