NOTE  ON  CAEBOLIC  ACID,  ETC. 
269 
a  mixture  of  the  two  phenols  in  the  ordinary  proportions  in 
which  thej  occur  in  the  available  products  of  coal  tar  distilla- 
tions, is  at  least  equally  useful  for  all  the  known  purposes  to 
which  the  crystallized  carbolic  acid  has  been  applied  in  medi- 
cine and  in  hygiene,  whilst  such  mixtures  are  far  cheaper  and 
far  more  easily  obtained. 
These  mixtures  are  commonly  known  as  impure  carbolic 
acid  until  they  get  into  hands  where  nothing  is  admitted  to  be 
impure.  They  then  take  the  very  bad  name  of  ^'  solution  of 
carbolic  acid,"  and  are  generally  so  labelled.  This  is  intended 
to  mean  liquid  carbolic  acid,  and  is  very  bad  because  it  con- 
founds this  caustic  and  powerful  liquid  with  the  dilute  solutions 
of  it  commonly  required  and  used.  The  name  "  solution  of  car- 
bolic acid  "  should  never  be  used  for  the  strong  liquid  of  various 
shades  of  color  commonly  sold  in  pound  bottles  with  a  mere 
strip  label,  and  it  is  remarkable  that  no  serious  accidents  have 
been  heard  of  from  this  common  use  of  so  bad  a  name.*  It  can 
be  justly  said  that  impure  carbolic  acid  is  equally  inaccurate,  but 
it  is  not  so  bad  because  not  dangerous.  A  far  better  name  would 
be  creasote,  simply,  or  coal-tar  creasote,  with  the  synonym,  so 
long  as  this  may  be  useful,  "or  carbolic  acid  so-called." 
This  liquid,  as  obtained  from  different  makers,  varies  con- 
siderably in  the  proportion  of  the  two  principal  phenols,  and 
always  contains  at  least  one  other  homologous  compound  in 
small  proportion,  as  well  as  other  substances  which  are  acci- 
dental, and  also  in  small  proportion.  These  variations  in  pro- 
portion, and  accidental  contaminations,  when  within  reasonable 
bounds  which  are  easily  controlled  by  simple  tests,  are  practi- 
cally quite  unimportant,  and  may,  for  the  present  at  least,  be 
wisely  and  safely  disregarded  in  a  substance  so  important  to  be 
promptly  known  and  recognized  in  general  use.  When  freshly 
distilled,  this  creasote  is  a  transparent,  colorless,  highly  refract- 
ing oily  liquid,  heavier  than  water,  having  a  pungent,  some- 
times slightly  sulphurous  odor,  and  pungent  caustic  effect  on  the 
*  As  this  paper  is  going  to  press  an  instance  is  reported  in  a  French 
•fournal  of  three  women  affected  with  itch,  who  applied  the  strong  liquid 
to  the  surface  of  their  bodies  by  sponging.  One  died  very  soon,  another, 
after  lingering  a  few  days,  but  the  third  finally  recovered. 
