A Theory of Internal Disinfection. 



145 



It would seem that this procedure could be made use of in the 

 institution as well as in the home, and that this type of therapy 

 could be adapted in the case of measles and other infectious 

 diseases. 



87 (1019) 



A theory of internal disinfection with nascent formaldehyd. 



By William N. Berg. 



[From the Division of Pathology, Bureau of Animal Industry, 

 Washington, D. C.\ 



The works of a large number of investigators have shown that 

 under ordinary conditions the cleavage of urotropin into its com- 

 ponents, formaldehyd and ammonia, takes place only in the uri- 

 nary tract and in other acid media. In the neutral tissue fluids 

 this cleavage does not take place. 



During their work on infectious abortion in cattle, Mohler and 

 Traum 1 fed urotropin to cows for the purpose of ascertaining 

 whether this substance would pass into the udder as formaldehyd 

 as stated by Klein. 2 In a number of tests on 5 cows that received 

 from 10 to 80 grams of urotropin per day, the milk contained 

 urotropin but no formaldehyd. 



In his studies on acid intoxication, Szili 3 found that the alka- 

 linity of the blood of rabbits, dogs and sheep could be appreciably 

 lowered by the intravenous injection of 0.6 per cent, hydrochloric 

 acid. Insofar as the cleavage of urotropin in the urinary tract is 

 probably brought about or assisted by the acid phosphates present 

 it seemed reasonable to suppose that this cleavage might also be 

 brought about in the neutral tissue fluids if the alkalinity of these 

 fluids were slightly lowered by the administration of acid. 



In the work now in progress, cows receive large doses of urotro- 

 pin by mouth (up to 3 grams per kilo of body weight) followed 

 immediately by the intravenous injection of several liters of 0.6 

 per cent, (n/6) or 0.9 per cent, (ra/4) hydrochloric acid, in Ringer 

 solution. Samples of milk are obtained and tested for formal- 

 dehyd. 



1 Bureau of Animal Industry Circular 216. 

 ! Proc. Amer. Vet. Med. Asson., 1913, p. 395. 

 ' Arch. f. d. ges. Physiol., Bd. 115, p. 82, 1906. 



