ASEPSIS, ANTISEPSIS AND DISINFECTION. 29 
utility. The value, action and use of these disinfectants will 
be briefly discussed, but as far as the more special action, as 
well as their chemical properties are concerned, pharmacologi- 
cal text books must be referred to. 
(a) SUBLIMATE (Hg CL). 
(Mercuric Chlorid). 
The credit of introducing sublimate into surgery is due to 
VON BERGMANN, for, although BINZ in 1867 and BUCK- 
HOTZ in 1875, experimentally ascertained the antiseptic prop- 
erties of sublimate, VON BERGMANN used it as a disinfect- 
ant in-surgery in the year 1878 for the first time. To the labors 
of KUEMMELL and SCHEDE it was reserved, however, to 
draw the attention of surgeons to this agent, while KOCH, 
with the aid of the solid nutritive medium discovered by him, 
made exact and decisive experiments in regard to the antiseptic 
value of sublimate. 
The sublimate, according to the investigations of KOCH, 
must be looked upon as the disinfectant possessing the strong 
est bactericide action, because a I per cent. solution kills an- 
thrax spores in a few minutes, which thus far are known as the 
most resistant. Though in reference to the surgeon, there 
have not been sufficient investigations made to tell how strong 
sublimate solutions are necessary to destroy wound-infection 
germs, practice has proven to us that here also a I per cent. so- 
lution completely suffices. Therefore sublimate fills one de- 
mand of the surgeon, for weak solutions contain stronger an- 
tiseptic powers than any agent thus far known. It should not 
go unnoticed, however, that according to the investigations of 
SCHILL and FISHER tuberculosis bacilli possess an extra- 
ordinary ability to resist sublimate. However, as we seldom 
have an opportunity to treat tubercular processes surgically, 
this objection to sublimate does not greatly concern the vet- 
erinarian. 
We need to discuss the second requisite which the veter- 
inarian demands from disinfectants, nams'y, that it be harmless 
to animal organisms. That in human surgery precaution in 
