10 ANTISEPTIC TREATMENT OF WOUNDS. 
just discovered by KOLBE, and retained the carbolic acid only 
to disinfect the instruments and the catgut; for all the other 
manipulations, such as spraying, washing of the wound, disin- 
fecting hands, saturating bandaging material, etc., he used sali- 
cylic acid. THIERSCH modified the bandage some, for the 3 
to 10 per cent. salicylic wadding, which had been adopted, 
became impermeable on account of the drying of the wound 
exudations in it and obstructing their further flow. Instead 
of the protective silk he took fenestrated guttapercha 
paper, and left the mackintosh out, thus being able to saturate 
the bandage daily with salicylic water, and keep the deepest 
layers disinfected and filtered. Later on THIERSCH seldom 
used these moist bandages, because they were annoying to 
both the patient and medical staff, and superfluous in. regular 
antisepsis. VOLKMANN, according to his own testimony, 
had carbolic intoxications only while he was unfamiliar with 
the procedure, later he ha@s seldom seen them; notwithstand- 
ing this he experimentally tried benzoic acid, especially in the. 
form of Benzoic wadding. 
After the good results that THIERSCH and VOLKMANN 
attained with the LISTER method, all the surgeons, which 
were cautious heretofore in regard to its use, dropped their 
prejudices and adopted it. However, complaints regarding 
the danger of carbolic acid became so numerous that many 
others like VOLKMANN and THIERSCH, looked for a 
substitute for it, and a period commenced in which various 
remedies were recommended, but only a few ever cut even 
a passing figure in the antiseptic treatment of wounds. - Of 
the antiseptics, which originated at this period and are 
partially in use still, the ones described below may be dis- 
cussed. As much as the remedies may be changed today, 
LISTER’S principle has been the basis upon which the various 
authors have worked. ; 
RANKE, who experimented under VOLKMANN, used 
thymol, which had been recommended by HAUSEMANN and 
LEWIN, instead of carbolic acid. In the form of a 1 per cent. 
aqueous solution it was adopted in many cases, on account of 
