ASEPSIS, ANTISEPSIS AND DISINFECTION. 37 
ones. It is sufficient to emphasize the fact that all our domes- 
ticated animals, especially cats and dogs, will occasionally get 
carbolic intoxications.s (SCHMIDT, GROSSWENDT, 
GOTTESWINTER, SCHUMANN, SCHAEFER, VAN 
LEUWENJU, etc.) : 
Besides its foregoing qualities the irritation which carbolic 
acid causes on the surface of wounds and to which LISTER 
calls attention, is unfavorable as far as the application of this 
remedy in the treatment of wounds is concerned. All wounds 
treated with a 3-5 per cent. watery solution secrete profusely, 
therefore they come into a condition which we do not consider 
beneficial but rather detrimental to the healing of the wound. 
Carbolic acid is applied now as carbolic water (1-5 per cent.). 
It is only used in exceptional cases for irrigation of fresh 
wounds in from 2-3 per cent. and in old infected wounds in 
5 per cent. solutions. The 3 per cent. solution is most gen- 
erally used and chiefly for the disinfection of instruments. 
All other preparations of carbolic acid (carbolic oil, carbolic 
spirits, etc.,) are, according to KOCH’S investigations, totally 
ineffectual. 
[It is undeniable that the unreliability of carbolic acid is be- 
coming more and more apparent. It has, however, one indica- 
tion through which it will retain a place in veterinary surgery 
and that is to keep instruments aseptic during operations. This 
precaution is seldom necessary in human surgery and the use 
of antiseptics on instruments can only be regarded as a reflec- 
tion on the work of the assistant who is entrusted with their 
care. But the veterinarian usually operates in a contaminated 
atmosphere and the chances of instruments ‘becoming infected 
in other ways are greater than in the human operating room ; 
therefore it is not only advisable but éssential to place the in- 
struments in an antiseptic medium when not in use during 
an operation. For this purpose carbolic acid is highly com- 
mendable, It is used in a 5 per cent. aqueous solution con- 
tained in a flat tray. This precaution also serves the purpose 
of disinfecting the tips of the surgeon’s fingers, because in 
