Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  I 
September,  1911.  ) 
Standard  Surgical  Dressings. 
417 
reader  is  referred.  They  need  not  be  discussed  except  briefly  to 
call  attention  to  some  of  the  formulas  given  in  the  British  Pharma- 
ceutical Codex,  where,  under  the  head  of  Carbolized  Cotton,  attention 
is  called  to  the  fact  that  the  preparation  soon  loses  strength  by 
exposure ;  it  is  only  of  approximate  strength  when  freshly  made. 
In  certain  instances,  in  capsicum  cotton  and  mercuric  iodide  cot- 
ton, it  is  recommended  that  the  cotton  be  dyed  in  order  that  it  may 
appear  to  the  eye  as  of  normal  strength.  In  the  case  of  corrosive 
sublimate  cotton  the  statement  is  made  that  this  soon  deteriorates. 
In  the  case  of  carbolic  acid  gauze,  cyanide  gauze,  and  iodoform 
gauze — it  is  noted  in  the  Codex  that  they  undergo  rapid  change — 
and  in  the  case  of  corrosive  sublimate  it  is  stated  that  the  mercuric 
chloride  undergoes  decomposition  in  a  month  or  six  weeks. 
These  statements  from  an  official  authority  would  indicate  that 
it  would  be  difficult  to  formulate  an  absolute  standard  to  be  embodied 
in  a  Pharmacopoeia,  the  legal  authority  by  which  preparations  named 
therein  shall  be  judged.  In  other  words,  a  given  antiseptic  gauze, 
prepared  exactly  according  to  the  official  formula,  would  not  and 
could  not  retain  its  conformity  to  the  standard,  and  were  the  sug- 
gestions embodied  in  a  most  excellent  paper  by  Geo.  M.  Beringer, 
Jr.,  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  April,  191 1,  where  formulas 
for  the  preparation  of  antiseptic  gauze  dressings  are  given,  with 
the  further  addition  of  a  process  for  sterilization  by  steam,  dry  heat, 
etc.,  adopted,  the  difficulty  would  be  greatly  increased.  Mr.  Berin- 
ger evidently  fails  to  take  into  account  the  fact  that  his  process  of 
sterilization  when  applied  to  such  preparations  as  iodoform,  thymol, 
carbolic  acid,  and  other  volatile  substances,  would  bring  about  a 
complete  change  in  the  product,  so  that  the  finished  article  is  not 
what  it  started  to  be. 
In  the  early  days  of  the  Listerian  or  antiseptic  era  of  surgery, 
it  was  a  common  custom  for  the  surgeon  to  prepare  his  own  gauze 
at  the  operating  table  or  bedside  of  the  patient.  This  he  did  by 
simply  dipping  the  gauze  or  cotton  into  a  solution  of  a  given 
strength  and  apply  it  direct  to  the  wound,  and  this  practice  applies 
to  a  certain  extent  to-day  as  an  emergency  practice,  except  that 
the  strength  of  the  antiseptic  solutions  has  been  greatly  modified. 
It  is  my  judgment  that  the  pharmacist  will  only  be  called  upon 
to  prepare  antiseptic  dressings  in  extreme  cases.    Even  in  emer- 
gency practice,  plain,  sterile  gauze  or  cotton  is  considered  adequate. 
When  we  take  up  the  question  of  plain  dressings,  such  as  cotton 
