Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-09-27
TIE USES OF cARaOLIo ACID.

within the last few years come more es-
peciaIly into notice on account Of its great
value as a disinfectant, and for other
purposes, some OF which we propose to
bring to the notice Of our readers. In its
purest form, when entirely free from
water, 10 presents the appearance Of a
mass Of long, needle-like crystals. More
frequently, however, It Is heavy, brown
ish transparent liquid, which does not
combine readily with water, but like the
crystals, Is very soluble in alcohol or
ether. II is obtained from gas tar, where
Il exists in com blnation with many other
substances, among them seven acids, ten
neutral and fourteen alkaline bodies,
some Of which are Of great value in the
arts. None, however, are Of more i'm
portance than carbolie acid, or capable
of more varied applications.
The peculiar antiseptic and other prop
critics OF carbolic acid, appear to be due
| partly to its power Of cOaguiating the al
bumen Of animal and vegetable substan-
ees, as of eggs, seeds aud spores, and thus
destroying their vitality; partly TO its
alteration Of the tissues and its forming
chemical combinations with them and
partly, doubtless, to other conditions not
yet appreciated. Be the philosophy Of
It's action what it may, its pre-eminent
utility as a disiufectant is unquestiOnable,
placing it, perhaps, at the head Of all
substances Of this class It's efficiency Is
very great In destroying mould. A few
drops stirred into pot Of paste will not
only prevent It becoming mOuldy, bat
act measurably in keeping it sweet-a
fact that will readily be appreciated by
paper hangers. The mustiness of damp
/ closets and Easements may readily be
] nv ka1 affh hry r. q
/ spread of many diseases may be arrested
/ by means of carbolic acid, especially
| those which owe their development TO
the propagation of eryptOgsmic vegeta-
/ CiOn, like mould. It is the only sub
stance that has had any positive tutiu-
! ence in cases Of rinderpest. By washing
| the stalls and floors where diseased cattle
! have been kept, with 8 solution Of car
/ bOlic acid, and using 1t in the Whitewasn
/ for the stables, as well a. washing the
animals themselves freely with iU, the
progress of the disease has frequently
| been stayed; while the same application
/ to uutainted animals and their stables
/ has often preserved them from attacks
| in infected districts. It's free use in
houses III icted with typhoid fevers, small
| pox and cholera, and many other dis
/ eases, as well as in the wards OF hOspl-
| tails, has proved most beneficial in its re-
1 suits. For this purpose the floor and all
| the wood work should be well washed
with water containing about table,
! spoonful Of the acid to bucket full OF
water, and the walls and ceiling white
washed with lime having rather larger
proportion Of the scid added 10 it.
Painted walls and ceilings may Of course
merely be washed down with csrbOlized
water The odor of water closets may bs
completely destroyed by washing the
seats especially the underside) and the
wood work and apparatus generally with
q stronger mixture OF the acid than that
shove mentioned, as well as by pouring
some OF it into the pan.
A special application of carbOlic acid
is found beneficial in cases Of cholera.
This disease is known to owe its spread,
once established, mainly TO the emana-
tions probably OF vegetable Gharacterl
from the excretiOns and vOmitings Of the
patient which, taken into the systems Of
other bersOns, reproduce the disease.
Powdered copperas, freely used in cham
Der vessels or water closets, will answer
a good purpose, but is far inferior IN efii-
cheney to carbOlic acid. Its administra-
ton internally, in cases of cholera, may
possibly be also OF advantage. Otaer
D
ringworm, and in those cutaneous dis
eases generally which are due to animal
or vegetable parasitic growth, as well as
in diptheria. Used freely as q wash
about beds and floors, it will destroy bed
bugs and prevent the Matching Of their
eggs, and by dipping cloth into its So
luton and hanging near the bed at nigst
mosquitoes will be kept away As long as
the powerful creOsotic @dOr remains. tt
is doubtless capable OF important appli-
cation iu destroying insects on plants
and it is well known that 70 the presence
Of carbOiic acid is due the efficiency Of
AIcD1ugali's sheep dip in curing so many
cutaneOus diseases that have hitherto
baffied the skill Of the farmer. 4 very
slight per centsge will kill the micro
scOpic and other animalcule in wafer
although impsrting an unpleasant taste
at the same time. 1t is sometimes used
to great advantage to wash the inside Of
fowls or fish, after cleaning them during
hot weather, to prevent them from be-
coming tainted while meat, already
quite FAR gone in this direction, can 10
rendered sweet again by immersion IN
il. The eggs Of blow flies will not hatch
in contact with surfaces m0istened by it..
Injected into the viscera or poured down
I
birds or beasts a long time At for the use
| of the taxidermist. Quite a weak solu-
| ton, as Of q tablespoonful in half a gal
| ion of water, will make liquid almost
/ as well adapted for the preservation Of
| specimens of natural history az alcohol
| itself. Added TO weak spirit, as first
proof whisky, it will increase the
I strength of the latter for preservatiye
| purposes, to any desired degree.
We are far from having exhausted all
| the possible applications Of this useful
substance, but others will readily suggest
{ themselves as occasion requires. Ir is
| only necessary to bear in mind that car
/ bolic acid acts essentially by destroying
/ the vitality Of eggs Of animals and seeds
| of plants, especially the more minute
and microscopic in character, as well as
| Of cells generally, preventing the multi
| plicatiOn OF evolution of the latter, and
averting decomposition. The dampness
| of houses is in itself not necessarily inju-
| rious TO health, but it almost always be-
comes so when accom- panied by mould
I the former is not affected by carbOiic
acid the latter can always be arrested
and destroyed by it. Other applications
will readily be seen in the case OF mould
| mess Of grain, dry-rot of timber which
/ results from y vegetable OF fungus groWthl
and various diseases, ss already eX
/ planned.
Many Of the properties OF carbolic acid,
as detailed above, are shared by creosote,
which, indeed, is a mixture OF carbOlic
| and cresilic acids, in varying proportions.
The best mode of keeping csrbOlic acid
| is in the form Of concentrated alcoholic
! solution, to be diluted with water, as oc-
casion requires, as the pure acid, either
| in it's crystalline or liquid form, viii not
unite readily with water.
One objection to the employment Of
carbclic acid, in some OF the cases above
mentioned, will be found in the strong
odor accompanying it, resembling that
| of ereosote. This is matter of compar-
atively little consequence, however, ex-
cept when applied to near substances to
be used as food.