Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  | 
November,  19 17.  ' 
Antiseptics  and  the  War. 
491 
In  using  the  solution,  after  all  preliminary  work  has  been  completed, 
care  must  be  taken  to  obtain  an  even  and  not  too  strong  flow  of  the 
fluid  and  also  that  the  fluid  flows  away  freely.  If  applied  as  a  dress- 
ing, it  must  be  changed  frequently  as  its  germicidal  action,  in  con- 
tact with  living  tissue,  lasts  for  about  one  hour  only. 
The  mode  of  action  of  the  hypochlorites  has  recently  stirred  up 
much  discussion,  with  the  outcome  that  few  are  supporting,  at 
present,  the  theory  that  their  antiseptic  action  is  due  to  the  oxygen 
formed  by  their  decomposition.  It  appears  that  in  the  presence  of 
organic  matter,  such  as  living  tissue,  bacterial  products,  etc.,  the 
hypochlorites  liberate  chlorine  rather  than  oxygen.  A  portion  of 
this  CI  unites  with  NH  groups  of  the  proteins,  converting  them  into 
NCI  groups,  products  belonging  to  the  chloramines.  The  latter  pos- 
sess the  antiseptic  properties  and  exert  the  bactericidal  effect.  In 
addition  the  chloramines  formed  seem  to  effect  a  rapid  flow  of  lymph 
from  the  surface  of  the  wound  and  thus  inhibit  toxic  absorption. 
Chloramin-T. — Chloramin-T  is  a  name  proposed  by  Dr.  Dakin 
and  those  associated  with  him  for  the  synthetic  germicide 
Tolueneparasulphondichloramin.  It  is  non-irritating,  non-toxic, 
considerably  more  stable  than  the  Dakin-Carrel  solution  and  cor- 
responds to  the  chloramins  described  previously  as  forming  between 
the  chlorine  of  the  hypochlorites  and  the  proteins  of  the  tissue.  It 
asserts  its  antiseptic  action  as  do  the  hypochlorites  and  accordingly 
before  application,  similar  preliminary  precautions  as  are  to  be 
heeded  before  applying  the  Dakin-Carrel  solution,  are  to  be  enforced 
here. 
Chloramin-T  is  soluble  in  water  and  thus  a  more  concentrated 
solution  than  the  Dakin-Carrel  fluid  can  be  made.  However,  in 
aqueous  solutions,  its  antiseptic  properties  in  the  presence  of  living 
tissue  seem  to  disappear  in  about  two  hours.  To  overcome  this 
objection  and  to  prolong  its  antiseptic  action  in  a  concentrated  solu- 
tion, so  that  this  powerful  germicide  which  contains  about  25  per 
cent,  available  chlorine  would  be  thus  permitted  to  diffuse  slowly 
and  be  more  effective,  from  5  per  cent,  to  10  per  cent,  solutions  of 
chloramin-T  in  oil  were  made.  The  oil  used  is  either  chlorinated 
eucalyptol  or  equal  parts  of  this  and  chlorinated  paraffin  oil.  How- 
ever, most  of  the  units  and  medical  practitioners  prefer  the  use  of 
chlorinated  eucalyptol,  solely,  as  the  vehicle,  and  concentrations  as 
high  as  20  per  cent,  are  used  in  some  instances. 
A  solution  of  this  chemical  in  chlorinated  eucalyptol  can  be 
