438         DISINFECTANTS  IN  ARRESTING  CATTLE  PLAGUE. 
These  experiments  prove  conclusively  that  the  tar  acids  have 
no  special  power  of  retarding  oxidation. 
36.  Other  experiments  were  then  instituted  in  the  endeavor 
to  understand  more  clearly  the  mode  of  action  of  carbolic  acid. 
IX.  Some  meat  was  hung  up  in  the  air  till  the  odor  of  putre- 
faction was  strong.  It  was  then  divided  into  two  pieces  ;  one 
was  soaked  for  half  an  hour  in  chloride  of  lime  solution,  and  was 
then  washed  and  hung  up  again ;  the  offensive  smell  had  entirely 
gone.  The  other  piece  of  meat  was  soaked  in  a  solution  of  car- 
bolic acid  containing  1  per  cent,  of  the  acid ;  it  was  then  dried 
and  hung  up.  The  surface  of  the  meat  was  whitened,  its  offen- 
sive odor  was  not  removed,  though  it  was  masked  by  the  carbolic 
acid.  In  two  days'  time  the  bad  odor  had  quite  gone,  and  was 
replaced  by  a  pure  but  faint  smell  of  carbolic  acid.  In  a  few 
weeks'  time  the  pieces  of  meat  were  examined  again.  The  one 
which  had  been  deodorized  with  chloride  of  lime  now  smelt  as 
offensively  as  it  did  at  first,  whilst  the  piece  treated  with  carbolic 
acid  had  simply  dried  up,  and  had  no  offensive  odor  whatever. 
It  was  then  hung  up  for  another  month  and  examined  ;  no  change 
had  taken  place. 
X.  A  piece  of  fresh  meat  was  soaked  in  a  1  per  cent,  aqueous 
solution  of  carbolic  acid  for  one  hour ;  it  was  then  wrapped  in 
paper  and  hung  up  in  a  sitting-room  in  which  there  was  a  fire 
almost  daily  ;  at  the  end  of  ten  weeks  it  was  examined.  It  had 
dried  up  to  about  one-forth  of  its  original  size,  but  looked  and 
smelt  perfectly  good  and  fresh,  a  very  faint  odor  of  carbolic  acid 
being  all  that  was  perceptible.  It  was  soaked  for  twenty-four 
hours  in  water,  and  then  stewed  with  appropriate  condiments  and 
eaten ;  it  was  perfectly  sweet,  and  scarcely  distinguishable  from 
fresh  meat,  except  by  possessing  a  very  faint  flavor  of  carbolic 
acid,  not  strong  enough  to  be  unpleasant. 
XL  Animal  membranes  in  forms  of  gut,  skin,  and  bladder, 
were  perfectly  preserved  if  immersed  direct  in  aqueous  solution 
containing  1  per  cent,  of  carbolic  acid ;  but  if  previously 
moistened  with  water,  and  then  immersed  in  dilute  carbolic 
acid,  the  preservation  of  the  skins  was  not  so  complete. 
XII.  Animal  size  and  glue,  mixed  in  the  form  of  solution, 
