12 1 
often been compelled to do for the purpose of chemical examination, 
and if this pulpy mass is carefully kept only for one day at the temper- 
ature of the room, an intensive, evil-smelling putrefaction with formation 
of bubbles (marsh-gas, carbonic acid, etc.) takes place. If, however, 
the mass is mixed with water which, mixed with oil of turpentine, has 
been standing for some time in sunlight and been frequently agitated, 
the minute quantities of ozonised oil of turpentine -which the water has 
been capable of dissolving are sufficient to arrest as desired the evil- 
smelling putrefaction of the mass scraped from the intestinal mucous 
membrane. That real ozone does not actually take part in this process, 
as is generally believed, I have been able to prove in a detailed 
examination of the turpentine-oil water, made jointly with my pupil 
Ernst Pallop^). The German Patent No. 138638 granted to 
Dr. H. Noerd linger in 1901, makes use of the above-mentioned 
action for the purpose of disinfecting waste water. The vaporisation 
of so-called ozonised oil of turpentine in the sick-room, according to 
Schrohe^), may perhaps also be based upon the idea of such an 
antibacterial action. The long-known excellent deodorising action which 
the oils of turpentine and myrtol, when administered or inhaled, exert on 
the effluvia from the lung of patients suffering from bronchitis putrida 
and gangrene of the lung, takes place in an analogous manner. I have 
taken pains, in the course of last year, to substitute limonene for oil 
of turpentine which the patients do not willingly take or inhale ^ and 
I have been able to confirm that this chemically uniform substance, 
which has an agreeable odour and taste, was readily used by all 
patients, and left nothing to be desired in its deodorising action. For 
the purpose of sterilising the cavity of the mouth of healthy persons 
and patients, both before and after meals and also before and after 
the night-rest, many substances have in the course of time been pro- 
posed, but very few proved to be not only permanently harmless, but 
also pleasant in use and yet active. Among these I would mention 
the methyl salicylate of oil of wintergreen, from Gaultheria pro- 
cumhens L. (Ericaceae) and Betiila lenta L. (Betulaceae), which is now^ 
also produced synthetically on a large scale, and has already been adopted 
officially in many countries. In the mouth it is a pleasant disinfectant; 
internally in doses of one gram it is used with advantage in acute 
articular rheumatism. Piperonal, which has already previously been exam- 
ined by Heffter, and now again by my pupil Kleist-^), possesses 
a very pleasant odour (it is for this reason also called heliotropin), and 
in addition, according to Frignani and Wimmer, also considerable 
^) tiber die Wirkung des sog. ozonisiei ten Terpen tinoles. Thesis, Dorpat 1889. 
") Therapie der Gegenwart, 1902, Nr. 8. 
^) See our Report, April, 1903, 133. 
