558 
Antiseptic  Materials. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm . 
Nov.,  1890. 
gauzes,  especially  those  impregnated  with  mercuric  chloride  and 
with  iodoform ;  the  others,  carbolated,  naphthalinated  and  euc- 
alyptol,  are  in  very  light  demand. 
There  exists,  at  present,  considerable  differences  of  opinion 
amongst  physicians  as  to  the  relative  values  of  "  moist  "  and  "  dry  " 
gauzes.  By  the  term  "  moist"  gauze  is  here  meant  gauzes  which 
are  kept  permanently  moist  with  alcohol  and  glycerin.  On  the  one 
side,  it  is  claimed  that  moist  gauzes  are  better  than  dry  gauzes, 
because  they  contain  the  antiseptic  in  the  most  active  form,  namely, 
a  soluble  form;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  many  physicians  prefer  to 
use  the  dry  gauzes,  either  applied  dry,  as  practised  by  Prof.  Keen, 
or  immersed,  as  is  usually  done,  in  the  antiseptic  solution  just  before 
applying,  or,  if  the  demand  warrants  it,  as  in  thospital  wards, 
keeping  it  in  museum  jars  filled  with  the  antiseptic  liquid,  preferably 
of  mercuric  chloride  and  ammonium  chloride,  and  removing  on 
using. 
As  has  been  before  said,  there  exists  a  wide  divergence  of 
medical  opinion  concerning  the  subject  of  gauzes,  and  it  may  be  a 
matter  of  information  to  here  present  some  of  the  arguments  used. 
First",  it  is  urged  that  if  the  statement  be  true  that  antiseptic 
gauze  is  only  active  when  it  is  moist,  it  would  seem  to  be  also  true 
that  "moist"  gauze,  being  active,  is  constantly  undergoing  pro- 
gressive deterioration  of  germicidal  strength ;  because,  accepting 
the  modern  teachings  as  to  the  omnipresence  of  disease  germs,  no 
container  could  be  kept  sufficiently  tight  to  exclude  them,  and  as 
the  containers  are  frequently  opened,  the  germs  of  the  air  are 
repeatedly  coming  in  contact  with  it,  and,  as  fast  as  one  colony  is 
destroyed,  another  takes  its  place,  until  the  entire  germicidal  power 
of  the  gauze  becomes  in  time  nil ;  whereas,  the  dry  gauze  (in  which 
ammonium  chloride  is  present)  is  a  product  of  constant  strength, 
which,  though  inactive  when  dry,  becomes  actively  antiseptic  on 
coming  in  contact  with  moisture  exuding  from  wounds.  Hence,  on 
application  of  a  moist  gauze  to  a  wound  without  previous  immer- 
sion, there  is  no  positive  guarantee  that  the  gauze  may  not  contain 
disease  germs  ;  while,  if  the  moist  gauze  be  first  immersed  before 
applying,  wherein  exists  any  superior  advantages  in  its  use  ? 
Then,  on  the  other  hand,  concerning  the  use  of  a  dry  dressing, 
immersed  in  antiseptic  solution  and  applied,  it  is  said  that,  while  it 
is  undoubtedly  antiseptic,  the  moist  condition  has  several  disad- 
