398  Carbolic  Acid  as  an  Antiseptic,  {^tt'^i^' 
corrosive  sublimate  were  used.  The  arsenic  having  been  found  to  be 
present  as  arsenic  acid,  its  percentage  below  is  given  as  that  compound  ; 
it  should  also  be  stated  that  several  of  the  samples  were  not  completely 
soluble  in  water,  but  left  a  white  residue  which  proved  to  be  calomel. 
Determination  as  sulphide. — The  acidulated  solution  was  completely 
precipitated  by  sulphuretted  hydrogen,  the  precipitate  treated  with  am- 
monium sulphide,  the  filtrate  acidulated  with  acetic  acid,  and  the  pre- 
cipitate collected,  washed,  dried  and  weighed.  It  was  then  oxidized 
with  nitro-muriatic  acid,  the  separated  sulphur  weighed  as  such,  while 
the  portion  dissolved  was  estimated  as  barium  sulphate.  The  entire 
weight  of  the  sulphur  thus  ascertained  was  then  deducted  from  the 
weight  of  the  precipitate  by  acetic  acid,  and  the  difference,  being  metal- 
lic arsenic,  calculated  to  arsenic  acid. 
Determination  as  lead  arseniate. — The  solution  was  precipitated  by 
hydrogen  sulphide,  the  precipitate  treated  with  ammonium  sulphide  and 
the  filtrate  evaporeted  to  dryness.  The  residue  was  oxidized  with 
nitric  acid,  heated  upon  a  sand  bath  until  the  sulphur  and  excess  of 
nitric  acid  had  evaporated,  then  thoroughly  mixed  with  an  excess  of 
recently  ignited  pure  oxide  of  lead,  heated  to  dull  redness,  care  being 
taken  to  prevent  loss  by  decrepidation,  and  weighed.  From  this  weight 
was  deducted  the  previously  ascertained  weight  of  the  crucible  and 
lead  oxide,  the  difference  being  the  weight  of  the  arsenic  acid. 
Five  samples  were  examined  for  arsenic,  with  the  following  results  : 
Determi?ied  as  1.  2.  3.  4,  j. 
Sulphide,         .        .       '0537      '048        -032         -083       '0901  )    per  cent,  of 
Lead  arseniate,    .       .    '054       '052       *°333       "°9I        '0962  j  arsenic  acid. 
In  some  of  the  Southern  States  two  qualities  of  corrosive  sublimate 
are  known,  No.  I  being  used  in  prescriptions,  while  No.  2,  which  is 
only  about  two-thirds  the  value  of  the  other,  is  employed  as  a  hemo- 
static, mixed  with  red  precipitate.  No  assay  has  been  made  to  deter- 
mine their  purity. 
CARBOLIC  ACID  AS  AN  ANTISEPTIC. 
Greenfield,  Mass,  June,  1877. 
Editor  American  'Journal  of  Pharmacy  : 
Some  two  months  ago  an  amputation  of  the  shoulder  joint  was  per- 
formed by  a  surgeon  of  this  place,  and  when  an  antiseptic  ointment 
was  called  for,  one  containing  salicylic  acid  was  first  prepared,  but  this 
proved  rather  unsatisfactory,  as  a  constant  burning  and  irritation  was 
