§4 
Carrel-Dakin  Solution.  (Am  jour.  Pharm« 
February,  19 17. 
the  speaker  stated  that  the  future  welfare  of  pharmacy,  in  his 
opinion,  would  depend  on  whether  it  should  be  more  prominent 
commercially  or  whether  the  professional  side  should  be  emphasized. 
CARREL-DAKIN  SOLUTION.1 
To  the  Editor:— I  have  just  read  in  The  Journal,  Oct.  7,  191 6, 
p.  1 108,  a  short  note  about  the  formula  for  Dakin's  solution.  I  be- 
lieve that  the  answer  will  not  allow  your  reader  to  obtain  the  proper 
kind  of  solution.  Therefore,  I  take  pleasure  in  sending  you  the  de- 
scription of  the  technic  which  is  used  in  my  hospital  for  the  making 
of  the  solution. 
A.  Carrel,  M.D., 
Hopital  Temporaire  21,  Rond-Royal,  Compiegne,  France. 
Preparation  of  Dakin's  Solution  (Daufresne's  Technic). 
Dakin's  solution  is  a  solution  of  sodium  hypochlorite  for  surgical 
use,  the  characteristics  of  which,  established  after  numerous  tests  and 
a  long  practical  experience,  are  as  follows : 
(a)  Complete  Absence  of  Caustic  Alkali. — The  absolute  necessity 
for  employing  in  the  treatment  of  wounds  a  solution  free  from  alkali 
hydroxid  excludes  the  commercial  Javel  water,  Labarraque's  solu- 
tion and  all  the  solutions  prepared  by  any  other  procedure  than  the 
following : 
{b)  Concentration. — The  concentration  of  sodium  hypochlorite 
must  be  exactly  between  045  and  0.50  per  cent.  Below  0.45  per 
cent,  of  hypochlorite  the  solution  is  not  sufficiently  active;  above 
0.50  per  cent,  it  becomes  irritating. 
Chemicals  Required  for  the  Preparation. — Three  chemical  sub- 
stances are  indispensable  to  Dakin's  solution:  chlorinated  lime,  an- 
hydrous sodium  carbonate  and  sodium  bicarbonate.  Among  these 
three  products  the  latter  two  are  of  a  practically  adequate  con- 
stancy, but  this  is  not  the  case  with  the  first.  Its  content  in  active 
chlorin  (decoloring  chlorin)  varies  within  wide  limits,  and  it  is  ab- 
solutely indispensable  to  titrate  it  before  using  it. 
Titration  of  the  Chlorinated  Lime. — There  must  be  on  hand  for 
this  special  purpose: 
1  Reprinted  from  Jour.  Amer.  Med.  Assoc.,  December  9,  1916,  p.  1777. 
