Part 5

In my opinion, the reason for its not being in universal use is the difficulty of procuring it free from hurtful impurities. Another objection is the unstableness of the compound, which gives off nascent oxygen when brought in contact with organic substances.[6]

Besides the foregoing objections the surgical instruments decompose the peroxide, hence, if an operation is to be performed, the surgeon uses some other antiseptic during the procedure, and is apt to continue the application of the same antiseptic in the subsequent dressings.

Nevertheless, the satisfactory results which I have obtained at the Pasteur Institute of New York with peroxide of hydrogen, in the treatment of wounds resulting from deep bites, and those which I have observed at the French clinic of New York, in the treatment of phagedenic chancres, varicose ulcers, parasitic diseases of the skin, and also in the treatment of other affections caused by germs, justify me in adding my statement as to the value of the drug.

But, it is not from a clinical standpoint that I now direct attention to the antiseptic value of peroxide of hydrogen. What I now wish is merely to give a full report of the experiments which I have made on the effects of peroxide of hydrogen upon cultures of the following species of pathogenic microbes: Bacillus anthracis, bacillus pyocyaneous, the bacilli of typhoid fever, of Asiatic cholera, and of yellow fever, streptococcus pyogenes, micro-bacillus prodigiosus, bacillus megaterium, and the bacillus of osteomyelites.

The peroxide of hydrogen which I used was a 3.2% solution, yielding fifteen times its volume of oxygen; but this strength reduced to about 1.5%, corresponding to about eight volumes of oxygen, by adding the fresh culture containing the microbe upon which I was experimenting. I have also experimented upon old cultures loaded with a large number of the spores of the bacillus anthracis. In all cases my experiments were made with a few cubic centimetres of the culture in sterilized test-tubes, in order to obtain accurate results.

The destructive action of peroxide of hydrogen, even diluted in the above proportions, is almost instantaneous. After a contact of a few minutes, I have tried to cultivate the microbes which were submitted to the peroxide, but unsuccessfully, owing to the fact that the germs had been completely destroyed.

My next experiments were made on the hydrophobic virus in the following manner:

I mixed with sterilized water a small quantity of the medulla that had been taken from a rabbit that had died of hydrophobia, and to this mixture added a small quantity of peroxide of hydrogen. Abundant effervescence took place, and, as soon as it ceased, having previously trephined a rabbit, I injected a large dose of the mixture under the dura mater. Slight effervescence immediately took place, and lasted a few moments, but the animal was not more disturbed than when an injection of the ordinary virus is given. This rabbit is still alive, two months after the inoculation.

A second rabbit was inoculated with the same hydrophobic virus, which had not been submitted to the action of the peroxide, and this animal died at the expiration of the eleventh day, with the symptoms of hydrophobia.

I am now experimenting in the same manner upon the bacillus tuberculosis, and if I am not deceived in my expectation, I will be able to impart to the profession some interesting results.

It is worthy of notice that water charged, under pressure, with fifteen times its volume of pure oxygen has not the antiseptic properties of peroxide of hydrogen. This is due to the fact that when the peroxide is decomposed nascent oxygen separates in that most active and potent of its conditions next to the condition, or allotropic form, known as "ozone." Therefore, it is not illogical to conclude that ozone is the active element of peroxide of hydrogen.

Although peroxide of hydrogen decomposes rapidly in the presence of organic substances, I have observed that its decomposition is checked to some extent by the addition of a sufficient quantity of glycerin; such a mixture, however, cannot be kept for a long time, owing to the slow but constant formation of secondary products, having irritating properties.

Before concluding, I wish to call attention to a new oxygenated compound, or rather ozonized compound, which has been recently discovered, and called "glycozone," by Mr. Marchand.

This glycozone results from the reaction which takes place when glycerin is exposed to the action of ozone, under pressure—one volume of glycerin with fifteen volumes of ozone produces glycozone.

By submitting the bacillus anthracis, pyocyaneous, prodigiosus, and megaterium to the action of glycozone, they were almost immediately destroyed.

I have observed that the action of glycozone upon the typhoid fever bacillus, and some other germs, is much slower than the influence of peroxide of hydrogen.

In dressing of wounds, ulcers, etc., the antiseptic influence of glycozone is rather slow if compared with that of peroxide of hydrogen, with which it may, however, be mixed at the time of using.

It has been demonstrated in Pasteur's laboratory that glycerin has no appreciable antiseptic influence upon the virus of hydrophobia; therefore, I mixed the virus of hydrophobia with glycerin, and at the expiration of several weeks all the animals which I inoculated with this mixture died with the symptoms of hydrophobia.

On the contrary, when glycerin has been combined with ozone to form glycozone, the compound destroys the hydrophobic virus almost instantaneously.

Two months ago, a rabbit was inoculated with the hydrophobic virus, which had been submitted to the action of this new compound, and the animal is still alive.

I believe that the practitioner will meet with very satisfactory results with the use of peroxide of hydrogen for the following reasons:

1. This chemical seems to have no injurious effect upon animal cells.

2. It has a very energetic destructive action upon vegetable cells—microbes.

3. It has no toxic properties; five cubic centimetres injected beneath the skin of a guinea-pig do not produce any serious result, and it is also harmless when given by the mouth.

As an immediate conclusion resulting from my experiments, my opinion is, that peroxide of hydrogen should be used in the treatment of diseases caused by germs, if the microbian element is directly accessible; and it is particularly useful in the treatment of infectious diseases of the throat and mouth.

Books Received.

THE PHYSICIAN'S VISITING LIST (_Lindsay & Blakiston's_) FOR 1891. Fortieth year of its publication. P. Blakiston, Son & Co., 1012 Walnut street, Philadelphia, Pa.

DESCRIPTIVE ANATOMY OF THE HUMAN TEETH: By G. V. BLACK, M.D., D.D.S. Published by the Wilmington Dental Mfg. Company, 1413 Filbert street, Philadelphia.

"THE PHYSICIAN'S ALL-REQUISITE ACCOUNT BOOK;" being a ledger and account book for physicians' use, meeting all the requirements of the law and courts. Published by F. A. Davis, Medical Publisher and Bookseller, 1231 Filbert street, Philadelphia, Pa. Style No. 1, 900 accounts, price $5.00, net; style No. 2, 1,800 accounts, $8.00, net.

A TREATISE ON THE IRREGULARITIES OF THE TEETH AND THEIR CORRECTION; including, with the author's practice, other current methods. Designed for practitioners and students. Illustrated with nearly 2,000 engravings (_not embracing those in the third volume_). Vol. I., by JOHN NUTTING FARRAR, M.D., D.D.S. Herman Helfeld, General Agent, 1271 Broadway, New York. Price of Vol. I., full cloth, $6.00.

TWELVE LECTURES ON THE STRUCTURE OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, for physicians and students, by Dr. LUDWIG EDINGER, Frankfort-on-the-Main. Second revised edition with 133 illustrations. Translated by Willis Hall Vittum, M.D., St. Paul, Minn. Edited by C. Eugene Riggs, A.M., M.D., Professor of Mental and Nervous Diseases, University of Minnesota; Member of the American Neurological Association. F. A. Davis, Publisher, Philadelphia, Pa.

Brief Mention.

DELAYED.—This issue has been delayed on account of anticipated changes in this journal, which will be announced in the future.

THE RUSSIAN MEDICAL DEPARTMENT has issued an order that druggists are on no account to dispense medicines on the prescriptions of dentists.

DR. E. M. THOMAS, a student of Dr. Frank Brewer (formerly of Palmyra, Mo.) enjoys a most enviable practice in the beautiful city of Vienna, Austria.

A LADY STUDENT in dentistry is desirous to obtain a situation in a dental office as assistant. Can make herself useful in the laboratory. Address, "Dental Student," 1100 Burlington street, Muscatine, Iowa.

SIR JOHN TOMES is spending his declining years very comfortably and pleasantly at his delightful country home, Upward Gorse, Catram Valley, and devotes a great deal of his time to the literature of the day, and is remarkably strong and well preserved for a man of his age.

THE TOOTH TRANSPLANTED from a bell-boy's mouth to a lady's, the full description of which is given in the _Missouri Dental Journal_ of 1882, on page 245, was extracted a few days ago, having done faithful service in its transplanted socket for _ten years_, lacking one month. The roots were considerably absorbed; also the external plate of the socket, which made it unfavorable to implant another tooth, so a "dummy," attached to a gold crown on an adjoining root, was substituted in its place.

WM. N. MORRISON, _St. Louis_.

[END OF VOLUME VII.]

=FOOTNOTES.=

[Footnote 1: Read before Harvard Odontological Society.]

[Footnote 2: Read before the Fifth District Dental Society of New York State.]

[Footnote 3: Read before the Southern Dental Society, at Chester, October, 1890.]

[Footnote 4: Read before the International Medical Congress, held at Berlin, Germany, on the 7th of August, 1890.]

[Footnote 5: _Gaillard's Medical Journal_, March, 1889.]

[Footnote 6: The peroxide of hydrogen that I use is manufactured by Mr. Charles Marchand, of New York. This preparation is remarkable for its uniformity in strength, purity and stability.]

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES.

1. Silently corrected simple spelling, grammar, and typographical errors. 2. Retained anachronistic and non-standard spellings as printed.