250 MANUAL OF BACTERIOLOGY. 



employed, and further investigation is necessary to determine 

 its true value. 



Attempts are being made to manufacture combinations of 

 mercury and other powerful metallic germicides with organic 

 acid and basic bodies, the purpose being to utilize the metallic 

 base in greater strength without injury to the living tissues. 

 Such compounds are exemplified by mercurol, said to be a 

 combination of mercury with nucleinic acid, and to possess 

 active germicidal properties, great penetrating power, and no 

 injurious effect on living tissue. It is also said to have a par- 

 ticularly destructive action upon the gonococcus. 



Silver Nitrate. — This salt probably occupies the next posi- 

 tion to the bichloride of mercury in germicidal power. Behr- 

 ing claims it to be superior to bichloride of mercury in al- 

 buminous fluids. The anthrax bacillus is killed by a solution 

 of 1-20,000 after two hours' exposure. At least forty-eight 

 hours' exposure to a 1-10,000 solution is required to kill the 

 spores of anthrax. It is very irritating, and possesses strong 

 affinities for chlorides, forming with them insoluble chloride of 

 silver, a salt without germicidal value. For these reasons the 

 use of silver nitrate is limited. In the solutions usually em- 

 ployed for douching the cavities of the body the available 

 silver nitrate is immediately converted into the insoluble chlo- 

 ride, and little if any germicidal action takes place. To this 

 fact may be ascribed the varying clinical results reported. 



Many semi-proprietary silver compounds are on the market, 

 introduced to replace the nitrate and its objectionable features. 

 The most important are argentamin, argonin, protargol and 

 argyrol, all organic silver combinations. They do not combine 

 with chlorides, are less irritating than the nitrate and, not coagu- 

 lating albumin, they possess greater penetrating power. 

 Clinical reports and investigations have been so contradictory 

 thus far that their value cannot be readily estimated. 



Carbolic Acid. — One of the most important and most widely 



