636 
WILLIAM HERBERT LOWE. 
cites, its volatility lessening its usefulness as an agent to secure 
permanent antisepsis, making frequent renewals of the dress¬ 
ings necessary, which renewals violate another fundamental 
principle of wound-treatment, that of rest ; its toxic qualities, 
dogs and cats being particularly susceptible. Carbolized oint¬ 
ment and solutions of carbolic acid in oil or alcohol have been 
shown by Koch to be absolutely inert in respect to their action 
oii bacterial life, either on the spores or the fully developed or¬ 
ganisms. Anthrax spores introduced into oily solutions of car¬ 
bolic acid, of thymol, and of salicylic acid, in each at the end 
of three months were still found capable of development. 
When, however, the oily solution comes in contact with sub¬ 
stances containing water, it undoubtedly gives up part of the 
acid to these and in this way antiseptic effect may be produced. 
Carbolic acid is used to good advantage in the antiseptic bath 
for the immersion of metallic instruments. 
Creolin , cresol, and other products of coal-tar distillation 
have largely superseded carbolic acid. These substances have 
marked antiseptic power, do not produce so much local irrita¬ 
tion, and are less toxic. They form milky emulsions when 
mixed with water, and have been used in such emulsions of 
from two to five per cent, strength. 
Salicylic acid and boracic acid are feeble bactericides, but 
potent as restrainers of bacterial activity. They are devoid of 
the irritating and poisonous effects of corrosive sublimate and 
carbolic acid. 
Corrosive sublimate is largely used as an antiseptic. Koch 
found that the spores of the bacilli of anthrax, though unaffected 
by*other antiseptics, were killed in a few minutes by a solution 
of corrosive sublimate, i-iooo, and to have been jmevented from 
developing by a solution of 1-5000. The necessity for changes 
of dressing with corrosive sublimate are rare. The danger of 
poisoning from absorption is slight when in the hands of the 
competent practitioner. Corrosive sublimate is the most reli¬ 
able agent available for the disinfection of fresh wounds that 
are known or presumed to be infected. For this purpose 1-5000 
