Am,  Jour.  Pharm. 
May,  1887. 
Iodoform  as  an  Antiseptic. 
249 
ni  indicating  these  notes,  I  intended  preparing  a  sample  of  the  acid  by 
the  barium  salt  and  sulphuric  acid  process,  and  submitting  it  to  you 
with  a  recommendation.  The  process  which  I  intended  following  was 
to  decompose  29*5  grams  of  the  pure  barium  salt,  dissolved  in  120  cc. 
of  distilled  water,  with  10  grams  of  H2S04,  specific  gravity  1*843, 
filtering,  washing  to  make  the  filtrate  measure  about  150  cc,  and 
concentrating  until  the  fluid  weighed  65  grams,  when  it  should  con- 
tain 20  per  cent.  H3P02.  As  I  am  not  certain  whether  the  nascent 
acid  may.  not  render  some  of  the  barium  sulphate  soluble  by  reducing 
a  quantity  of  that  precipitate  to  sulphite,  I  cannot  offer  the  process 
guaranteed. 
Regarding  the  concentration  I  feel  sure  that  an  acid  of  20  per  cent, 
would  be  suitable  for  every  purpose,  and  this  cannot  be  said  of  the 
weaker,  while  at  the  same  time  it  would  not  be  rendered  liable  to  the 
alteration  which  further  condensation  would  produce. 
I  have  only,  in  conclusion,  to  thank  the  firm  of  James  Robertson 
and  Co.,  35  George  Street,  for  placing  samples  at  my  disposal,  and 
for  allowing  the  use  of  their  reagents  and  apparatus  to  conduct  these 
experiments.  I  have  particularly  to  thank  Mr.  A.  A.  Lumsden,  who 
has  most  obligingly  rendered  me  invaluable  aid  in  conducting  and 
verifying  the  quantitative  estimations.  Beside?!  he  has  placed  at  my 
disposal  his  counsel  and  advice  on  the  whole  subject,  and  backed  by 
his  assistance  as  a  technical  analytical  chemist  of  many  years'  expe- 
rience, I  am  emboldened  to  submit  these  notes  to  your  full  and  free 
criticism. 
Since  reading  the  above  Mr.  Boa  has  drawn  my  attention  to  the 
fact  that  my  results  confirm  to  a  considerable  extent  those  arrived  at 
by  Mr.  Branson,  whose  published  remarks  I  had  not  previously  seen. 
IODOFORM  AS  AX  ANTISEPTIC. 
By  Ch.  Heyn,  and  T.  Hosting. 
The  authors  maintain  (Fortsch.  d.  Med.  January  16,  1887.)  that 
the  antiseptic  powers  of  iodoform  have  been  assumed  but  not 
proved,  and  record  a  series  of  experiments  which  have  led  them 
to  the  conclusion  that  iodoform  is  not  an  antiseptic.  They 
affirm  that  micro-organisms,  even  when  covered  with  powdered 
iodoform,  grow  freely.    They  inoculated  sterilized  iodoform  jelly  with 
