Reynolds — On Thiocamf: a Nexo Disinfectant Material. 361 



agents, and without involving the presence of the operator in the 

 room, or the employment of special apparatus. 



This search has been successful, and I have now the pleasure 

 of bringing under your notice the singular liquid which fulfils the 

 conditions I have just specified, and to which the name of 

 Thiocamf has been given. 



The basis of this novel disinfectant is a very curious liquid 

 which results when sulphur dioxide gas is brought in contact with 

 camphor. At ordinary temperatures the gas alone requires a 

 pressure of more than two atmospheres to liquefy it ; but camphor, 

 owing to chemical attraction, can liquefy the sulphur dioxide gas 

 without any pressure whatever. In this liquid are dissolved 

 several known bactericides, therefore Thiocamf is all disinfectant ; 

 but I am not free to enter into further particulars as the patent 

 specification has not yet been published. 



A quantity of the liquid has been preserved in my laboratory 

 for nearly two years in a corked bottle, and has not undergone 

 sensible alteration during that time. 



Thiocamf possesses almost unique properties ; for, while it can 

 be preserved without pressure in bottles at mean temperature, 

 mere exposure of the liquid in a thin layer to the air determines 

 the steady evolution of relatively enormous volumes of sulphur 

 dioxide gas from it, charged with the vapours of other^ powerful 

 disinfectants. These gases and vapours diffuse through the whole 

 of the air of a well-closed room, and therefore must reach every- 

 thing in the room if given reasonable time. 



The question then arises whether the sulphur dioxide gas can 

 destroy the bacteria — particularly the infective forms — when it 

 reaches them. The evidence on this point has hitherto been of a 

 rather loose kind, though the results led to the conclusion that 

 sulphur dioxide gas is a powerful bactericide. Happily the truth 

 of this conclusion has now been placed beyond doubt by a critical 

 investigation of the subject, aided by modern methods of bacterio- 

 logical study. This examination has been carried out in Paris by 

 MM. Dubief and Bruhl, under the direction of Dr. Dujardin- 

 Baumetz, and the results have been recently communicated to the 

 Academy of Sciences. (Comptes rendus, t. cviii., 32-1.) 



Starting with air rich in germs of various kinds, and combining 

 Miquel's method of numbering the bacteria with alkaline culture, 



2 F 2 



