1010 TrAKSACTIOXS of the AMERICATf INSTITUTE. 



erful disinfectant, but must not be applied to tlie skin unless very 

 gi-eatly diluted. When the preparation is required to prevent the 

 ravages of insects it niav bo more conveniently used in a solid form, 

 which may be obtained by adding -whiting to the liquid. Ladies will 

 find the presence of this powder very effective in the preservation of 

 furs. 



Dr. Parmelee suggested that there must be some mistake about the 

 formula given for the preparation of the new article. Solid carbolic 

 acid is an article never seen in the New York market, being alto- 

 gether too expensive on account of the very great trouble involved in 

 its preparation. Unless some way of using the liquid acid could be 

 devised he did not think that the discovery promised to amount to 

 much. 



Dr. L. Feuchtwanger : Why use carbolic acid when permanganate of 

 soda IS so much superior. A body was recently sent from this city 

 to the south, and kept in a state of perfect preservation by the occa- 

 sional application of a solution of permanganate of soda. Solid car- 

 bolic acid undergoes a change by keeping, becoming red, and this 

 change renders its use unpleasant. 



The chairman thought that the doctor was laboring under an error 

 with regard to the superior virtue of permanganate of soda. Experi- 

 ments have proved that carbolic acid is superior to all other disinfect- 

 ants. Sulphurous acid and the sulphites stand next. 



Dr. Yanderweyde here remarked that carbolic acid had been used 

 in some experiments for the preservation of animals by suftocating 

 them in a room filled with the vapor of carbolic acid. The plan 

 succeeded well on asmall scale. The vapor penetrated the flesh very 

 completely, aifecting even the most minute fibrils. It was tried first 

 with a chicken, then with a sheep, and finally with a bull. It worked 

 very well with the chicken ; succeeded tolerably with the sheep, but 

 •the bull gave a good deal of trouble. He became rather unmanage- 

 able before he succumbed. A question here arose as to the peculiar 

 action in the case of Dr. Harris' preparation. Does the camphor 

 merely neutralize the order of the carbolic acid, and does carbolic 

 acid neutralize the odor of the camphor ? It was a general impres- 

 sion that the odor of the carbolic acid is fully neutralized, but no 

 information was given in regard to the odoi- of the camphor. 



Mr. T. D. Stetson made some genenral remarks in regard to the 

 distinction to be maintained between antiseptics and disinfectants. 

 Salt is an antiseptic, for it prevents putrification. Carbolic acid is a 



