236 Proceedings of Roy cd Society of Edinhm^gh. [march 19 , 
1 to 10,000 acting for ten minutes on spores of Anthrax hacilli 
did not weaken them sufficiently to render them innocuous to 
mice. 
1 to 20,000 in ten minutes kills spores (so that they will not 
germinate on nutrient media). 
1 to 50,000 acting for sixty minutes, has no effect on spores. 
1 to 300,000 prevents the growth of Bacillus anthracis. 
1 to one million restrains growth of Bacillus anthracis. 
These results do not seem to coincide throughout, hut it must he 
remembered that in some cases he used the cultivation medium 
tests, whilst in others he used inoculation of animals as his test. 
Klein {Fifteenth Annual Report of the Local Government Board, 
Supplement, 1886, p. 155 et seq.) refers to many of the points taken 
up hy Koch, agreeing with him generally as to the efficiency of the 
corrosive sublimate solution, but maintaining that Koch has over- 
rated its antiseptic properties. 
In connection with this paper it may be observed, that Klein 
points out the necessity for using distilled water, “since the dis- 
infectant may have entered into combination with proteids, salts, 
or other substances, whereby its action on given infective material 
may have been seriously interfered with.” He seems, however, to 
think that this is specially true in the case of albumen, and he 
insists that an albuminate of mercury is then formed. These 
albuminates may be dissolved by adding excess of albumen, but it 
may be pointed out that the mercury, in such cases, does not 
necessarily again enter into combination with chlorine to form a 
chloride. 
In spite of the great advantages claimed for the use of this salt, 
it soon becomes evident that the above-mentioned formation of 
albuminates must greatly detract from its potency as an antiseptic. 
In October of last year (1887), Dr Laplace of New Orleans con- 
tributed a paper to the Berlin W ochenschrift on the use of acid 
solutions of corrosive sublimate. The work on which his paper is 
founded was carried out in Koch’s Laboratory in Berlin, and Dr 
Laplace, in his contribution to the subject, opened up many 
interesting questions in connection with the antiseptic properties of 
the mercuric salts. 
Any one who has watched a surgical operation, or who has put 
