Proceedings of the Polytechnic Association. 1029 



ordinaiy circumstances. Wo were led to make experiments to make 

 tliem stable, and not impair their properties. Chlorine seemed to 

 fiiltill the conditions. The tendency of chlorine is to decompose 

 water, taking the hydrogen, forming muriatic acid, and liberating the 

 oxygen ; hence chlorine is one of our most powerful oxidizing agents. 

 The permanganic acid wishes to give up its oxygen, but cannot do it 

 in the presence of chlorine. So tliey are both unable to change 

 unless some substance is presented which destroys the e<iuilibrium ; 

 then they both act with great efficiency, h'y this combination we 

 have a more powerful disinfectant than either of them alone. We 

 not only had confidence from theory and experiment in the combina- 

 tion, but exposed our life and health depending on its protecting 

 inlluence for safety. In September, 1856, a party of us went to 

 Florida in a wagon, tlie most sickly season known for many years. 

 As a sample of the sickness through the country, we give the follow- 

 ing circumstances : We came to the Black bayou, and found the boat 

 on the opposite side. We blew the horn, and made all the noise of 

 which our lungs were capable. ISTo one came to our relief. One of the 

 party swam the bayou, in face of tlie alligators, and got the boat. 

 We crossed and found the keeper of the ferry, and every twelve 

 members of his family, sick with bilious fever, \vith no one to help' 

 them or wait on them. One day we aimed to get to the neigldjor- 

 hood of a village (we camped out every night) ; but, in consequence 

 of a rain, we were delayed, and just at dark we entered a swamp, 

 when it became so dark that we could see nothing. We came to a dry 

 spot, and stopped and went supperless to sleep. We did not measure 

 or weigh the mosquitoes, but they were enormous and ferocious. In 

 the morning we found ourselves on a piece of dry ground o^i nut 

 more than a quarter of an acre in a most magnificent swamp of Pea 

 river. Xo liuman l)eing could, uni)rotected, have withstood the 

 influence of that intense malaria. (There is a ])erson in this room 

 who was one of the party.) We trusted to our chemical ciniqwiund, 

 and it did its work, and no one was made sick by the exposure. 



We could multiply many cases of our own experience, proving the 

 efficiency of tlic compound of chlorine and permanganic acid in 

 destroying malaria. 



Cai:bolic acid is an eftective disinfectant. It acts by preserving 

 the malarious matter and not l)y destroying or removing it. It sim- 

 ply preserves. It embalms, l)ut does not remove. Jt is a powerful 

 antiseptic ; like arsenic and corrosive subliniatc. We liave been sur- 



