Maech 7, 1902. J 



SCIENCE. 



365 



The average number of bacteria in tank 

 during the same period was 446,611. The 

 records during 1901 are as follows: Aver- 

 age number of bacteria per c.c. in effluent, 

 14,785; average number of bacteria per 

 CO. in manhole, 1,318,328 ; the average num- 

 ber of bacteria per c.e. in tank, 1,667,522. 

 No effort has been made to study a large 

 number of different forms found in the 

 effluent. B. cloacce, B. coli communis, B. 

 liquefaciens fluorescens and Sarcina auran- 

 tica have been found. Bacillus prodigiosus 

 has also been found. This was introduced 

 from the Manhattan sewage in 1900. That 

 season it was found three times in the tank 

 on June 19, in the east effluent on June 22, 

 and in the west effluent on June 27. It 

 was not found again till August, 1901, 

 when it appeared in the effluent and con- 

 tinued to appear until the first of Septem- 

 ber. Various media were used. The Niit- 

 erstoft' Heyden did not prove better than 

 either pepton agar-agar or pepton gelatin. 

 The blue litmus-agar and gelatin are ex- 

 cellent for differentiation. 



On the Germicidal Action of the Organic 



Peroxides: Drs. F. G. Novt and P. C. 



Freer, University of Michigan, Ann 



Arbor, Mich. 



The investigation of the authors was be- 

 gun with the object in view of finding the 

 correct explanation of the action of metals 

 and of sunlight upon bacteria. As is well 

 known, certain metals, such as gold and 

 copper, exert a marked inhibiting and even 

 germicidal effect upon some bacteria. The 

 studies of Miller, Behring and Bolton, 

 Thiele and Wolf, have fully established the 

 above-mentioned fact, but the interpreta- 

 tion of the results has not been wholly sat- 

 isfactory. The fact that various surfaces, 

 such as metals and fabrics, exert a marked 

 efi'ect upon the formation of benzoyl acetyl 

 peroxide was established by the authors 

 and served as a basis for the view that met- 



als act upon bacteria by giving rise to en- 

 ergetic peroxides, which, of necessity, must 

 be more active than ordinary peroxides. 

 The action of sunlight has been ascribed 

 by different workers to hydrogen peroxide, 

 but the destructive action observed is great- 

 er than that which can be credited to this 

 body. In order to substantiate the theory 

 of the authors regarding the action of met- 

 als and of sunlight, it was deemed neces- 

 sary to investigate the action of a number 

 of known organic peroxides. The results 

 show that some of these bodies, such as 

 aceton peroxide and dibenzoyl peroxide, 

 are wholly inert. 



On the other hand, solutions of diaeetyl, 

 benzoyl acetyl, and of benzoyl hydrogen 

 peroxides, and of phthalmonoperacid, ex- 

 ert pronounced and even remarkable germ- 

 icidal properties. With reference to diaee- 

 tyl peroxides and benzoyl acetyl peroxide, 

 it was shown that the bodies themselves are 

 chemically and bacterially inert, but on 

 contact with water they undergo hydroly- 

 sis and give rise to the extremely energetic 

 acetyl hydrogen and benzoyl hydrogen per- 

 oxides. 



A solution of these peroxides (1: 3,000) 

 is capable of destroying all pathogenic bac- 

 teria, and even such resisting spores as 

 those of the potato bacillus, within one 

 minute. Cholera and typhoid germs added 

 to tap water are promptly destroyed by 

 the addition of one part of peroxide to 

 100,000 parts of water. The authors point 

 out the probable value of these peroxides 

 in the prevention and cure of these and 

 allied diseases. The destruction of bac- 

 teria in the mouth and saliva takes place 

 vsdth extraordinary rapidity and the re- 

 agents have shown themselves useful in dis- 

 eases of the mouth. 



The powerful effects of the organic per- 

 oxides is not explainable as due to nascent 

 oxygen, since a solution of hydrogen per- 

 oxide, which will produce equal germicidal 



