562 
Antiseptic  Materials. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Nov.,  1890. 
wash  with  benzin,  dry  and  keep  in  the  y^-g-g-  mercuric  chloride 
solution  above  mentioned. 
In  some  cases,  where  it  is  desired  that  the  gut  be  longer  than 
from  five  to  ten  days  in  being  absorbed,  as  is  the  case  with  plain  cat- 
gut rendered  antiseptic,  it  becomes  necessary  to  chromicize  it,  when 
it  will  resist  absorption  in  from  ten  days  to  three  weeks.  This  is 
done  as  follows: 
Macerate  the  gut  (200  gr.)  in  stronger  ether  for  48  hours,  remove, 
dry,  cut  into  3-foot  pieces,  and  twist  on  a  glass  spool,  not  more 
than  two  threads  deep,  to  prevent  curling  and  place  in  a"-^"  carbolic 
acid  solution  (iofl,  oz.),  which  has  had  added  to  it  chromic  acid 
(1  gr.)  (containing  no  free  sulphuric  acid);  macerate  for  48  hours,  by 
which  time  the  color  of  the  solution  changes  from  orange  to  very  light 
yellow.  Remove,  dry  and  place  in  an  air-tight  jar,  which  has  been  pre- 
viously antisepticized  with  a  mercuric  chloride  solution  and 
dried. 
This  product  will  keep  for  two  or  three  months.  To  use,  immerse 
for  a  short  time  in  a  T^yo  mercuric  chloride  solution. 
In  conclusion,  there  is  one  subject  which,  though  it  does  not  belong 
to  the  class  of  antiseptic  materials,  is  worthy  of  notice,  because  it  is 
very  often  used  in  connection  therewith,  and  that  is  ether.  In  medi- 
cine, practically,  ether  is  almost  wholly  used  as  an  anesthetic,  and, 
in  the  writer's  opinion,  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia  errs  in  having  two 
ethers  officinal,  or  in  not  stating  in  the  text  which  of  the  two  should 
be  used  as  an  anesthetic.  The  very  wide  difference  between  the  sev- 
eral amounts  of  each  required  under  similar  conditions  to  produce 
unconsciousness  reported  by  physicians,  can  be  readily  under- 
stood when  it  is  stated  that  ^Ether  contains  about  26  per  cent,  of 
alcohol  (probably  about  5  per  cent,  of  which  is  water),  while  ^Ether 
Fortior  contains  about  6  per  cent  of  alcohol  (with  a  little  water). 
Even  with  this  latter,  it  is  difficult  in  some  cases  to  produce  ready 
anesthesia,  and  it  would  seem  to  be  far  wiser  to  have  only  one 
strength,  and  that  a  higher  one  (which  can  be  had  in  the  markets 
and  for  which  there  is  now  most  unquestionably  a  strong  demand), 
and  dismiss  the  two  older  and  weaker  strengths. 
Concerning  the  pharmaceutical  preparations  which  contain  it, 
such  as  collodion  and  the  simple  and  compound  spirit  of  ether,  it 
would  be  a  very  easy  matter  to  reduce  the  quantity  of  ether  con. 
tained  in  them  and  make  up  the  difference  in  strength  with  alcohol. 
