OXYGEN AS A THERAPEUTIC AGENT. 
177 
oxygen in such a form that it could be utilized and made avail¬ 
able and practical, both to the practitioner and surgeon, in the 
treatment of those diseases and conditions to which it is appli¬ 
cable. 
While oxygen exists in nature in unlimited quantities and 
combines with almost everything in varying proportions, yet 
there does not exist in nature a single compound of oxygen 
where it can be utilized to advantage in the treatment of dis¬ 
ease. For instance, in pure water we have over 90% pure oxy¬ 
gen, yet its combination with hydrogen is such, that the oxygen 
is not and cannot be made available in practice. So, also, with 
all the others ; from some we can obtain oxygen, but while we 
get the oxygen we also get other agents that we do not want. 
To get a compound from which oxygen could be obtained com¬ 
paratively cheap where the supply would be automatic, regular 
and uniform, without the interference of any element that 
would be in any way detrimental, has been the object of my 
study for a number of years. In preparing a compound of this 
kind there are several points to be considered : first, we must 
have a chemical compound ; second, that compound must be 
stable under all ordinary conditions except one ; third, it must 
be so compounded that the affinity of venous blood for oxygen 
will break up the compound ; fourth, the compound must be so 
regulated, that pure arterial blood will have but little if any 
effect in breaking it up ; fifth, that it is only when the com¬ 
pound is broken up that the oxygen will be evolved and chlor¬ 
ine liberated ; sixth, the combination is made and must be made 
in such a way that the evolved gases, oxygen and chlorine, can 
only act in their nascent state ; seventh, the combination is 
made in such a way, that as soon as the venous blood has re¬ 
ceived its normal supply of oxygen, its affinity for oxygen is les¬ 
sened to a point where it will no longer extract oxygen from 
the compound. This being true it can be readily understood 
how and why an application can be made to an ulcer that will 
remain effective for three or four days. To this preparation I 
have given the name “ Oxychlorine ” ; oxygen being the prin- 
