180 GENERAL THERAPEUTICS FOR VETERINARIANS 



Creolin (3 per cent.) kills anthrax spores after 2 days. 



Carbolic acid (5 per cent.), anthrax spores were not killed after 

 20 days. 



Influence of Temperature. — The disinfectant power of a drug 

 can be considerably increased by the simultaneous operation of 

 high degrees of temperature. For this reason, it is recommended 

 that disinfectant fluids be employed as warm as possible. This 

 applies particularly to the disinfection of the hands (warm water 

 and soap and sublimate solution). Anthrax bacilli are destroyed 

 at 3° C. by a 1 : 25,000 solution of sublimate, while at 36° C. 

 they are destroyed by a four times weaker dilution, 1 : 100,000. 

 Anthrax spores, which are not destroyed with certainty after 20 

 days by a 5 per cent, solution of carbolic acid at ordinary tempera- 

 tures, are killed after 3 hours' exposure to the carbolic acid solu- 

 tion at 37° C. Live steam kills them within the same period, and 

 formalin vapor (1-2 per cent.) at 70° C. after 5 minutes. Soda is 

 entirely ineffective against these organisms at the ordinary tem- 

 perature, but a IJ^ per cent, solution at higher temperatures will 

 destroy them as follows: 



At 80-83° C. after 10 minutes. 



At 77° C. after 15 minutes. 



At 75° C. after 20 minutes. 



At 70° C. after 30-60 minutes (von Behring). 



Influence of Concentration. — The stronger the concentration 

 the more effective in general is the disinfectant action of the anti- 

 septic. An exception to this rule is creolin, which is most efficient 

 in concentrations which favor the formation of a complete emul- 

 sion, especially 2-3 : 100; 10 to 20 per cent, solutions are not rela- 

 tively as efficient because the greater part of the creolin is not 

 emulsified and is therefore not entirely effective. The influence of 

 concentration upon the action of an antiseptic is shown by the 

 following figures: 



Corrosive sublimate 1 : 100 kills anthrax spores after 80 

 minutes. 



Corrosive sublimate 1 : 200 kills anthrax spores after 2 hours. 



Corrosive sublimate 1 : 400 kills anthrax spores after 4 hours. 



