Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-06-27
Disinfectants and Deodorizers.

NAV be anticipated for them, even IN those
quarters in which the demand is only tempo
rsrv, With the grst burst of June weather.
civic authorities, managers ofpublic Institutions
and even the general public, waken up to real
ization Of the fact that they owe this amount Of
obedience to the great law Of self preservation.
Many of the favorite disinfectauts possess val
liable medical properties. other than that of de-
odcrization, buF it is with this quality that we
have chiefly to do. The disiDfectants most in
request 10 America are chlorinated lime, car
boIic acid, sulphate of iron, chloride Of zinc
nitrate of lead and chloralum and bromo chlo-
ralum. There are also 4 large number of pa
tent agencies which are brought into market
and which have various degrees OF merit. 10
these must be added common aud particular
earths used for deodorizlng purposes. Almost
all of these, with the exception OF the first, are
used in the liquid state, aud are only available
when in that condition.
Chloride of lime is the oldest and the most
available disinfectant on a large scale, and is
perhaps the most widely useful owing to its ca.
pabilities for general application, its moderate
price, and the ease with which it can be trans.
ported 1t is doubtful if it ever is likely
to be superseded for what may be termed
class of dsinfectants carbolic acid takes the lead
at present in both medical and public favor:
Besides its endless use in surgery, dentistry and
other professional services, it takes rank as the
first and most destructive agent in cOunteract-
ing not so much the effects Of putrefactlon of
every kind, as in destroying the cause ofputre-
fcation itself Carbolic acid was first brought
into notice during the European cattle pauge
of four years ago, when it was found extremely
effective. The impure qualities are applicable
for deodorzation in the proportion of two pints
of the acid to forty gallons of water
Sulphate of iron is valuable in correcting
fetd emanations, and although its use, until
lately, was chiefly confined to France, it is now
making vast progress in this country.
Chloride of zinc, in addition to its ordinary
disinfectiDg qualities, when dissolved In water,
is valuable when applied to ulcers, etc., be-
longing to the human species and animals, and
fuds large sale in retail drug stores IN towns
and cities.
Burnetts disipfectng fluid is an aqualouss
solution of chloride of zinc. 1t is largely used
for ships, hospitals, disinfecting rooms, ETC.,
and it is claimed for it that while it destroys
other odors it possesses none of its owD. For
disiufec,iou, pint of the fluid should be mixed
with four gallons of water.
Nitrate of lead, besides being useful as
general deodorzer, has healing effect on ex-
corated surfaces, and solution colored is often
sold as remedy for cbapped hands, etc. l.e-
doyen's disnfecting fluid is solution of nitrate
of led in the proportion ola drachm to an
ounce.
Labarraque's disinfecting fluid is useful from
the tact of its absorbing carhonic acid and evolv-
ing chlorine, upon which latter quality the dis
injecting power depends.
Chloralum, discovered as a disinfectant by
Gramgee, Of London, has secured large pat
rouage in this country since its introduction
three years ago. Two years ago bromo- chlora-
lum was invented, and its value is dependent
not only on the properties Of chloralum, but
also on those of bromine, which is a dislntec-
tant of value itself The chief merit claimed,
however, for the bromo-chloralum consists Of
the wider sphere Of action secured by the union
of the two Choralum is prepared from chlorine
and aluminium, which last is obtained from that
known in the market as cryolite from Greenland,
substance familiar to- the glass manufacturers
and imported by Danish house. Bromo-
chloralum is designed not only to deodorize
but also has antisceptic qualities, and fish and
meat are not only preserved but the taint Of
age removed. Besides the above there are
variety of specialities for particular cases,
which are mostly of limited circulation, owing
10 the cost of their production, and which may
be divided into those directly manufactured as
auti-infection agencies and those which are
evolved during other sources OF manufacture.
Drug Reporter.
Tue THREE RICHEST MEN IN AMERICA
The three richest men in America are William
B. Astor, A. r. Stewart and Commodore Van
derbilt-all residents of New York city. Astor's s
wealth is mainly in real estate and its revenues
landerblts is mainly in railroad stocks and
their dividends; Stewart is in goods, houses.
stores factories, lands and stocks. The aRgro-
gate wealth Of each one Of them is seventy-hve
and one hundred millions, which looks rather
heavy. Nobody knows exactly; they couldn't
tell themselves within million or two. Those
who know most about their affairs put their
figures higher, and say that the income tax re-
turns OF few years ago, which showed each
OF them to be worth between twenty and thirty
millions, gave no proper idea of their real
wealth.
Astor lives unosteutatiously; Vanderbilt lives
IN three story brick house on third-class
street; and Stewart lives in marble palace on
rlit1 avenue, more magnificent than any other
iiesluenee on the American continent, and equal.
su oy but few of the great cities Of Europe
ns'or Is large, heavy man of seventy, with
stohg features and rubicund face, in
t; aea.Ve OF high living; Stewart is q me-
.uus'zeo man, rather slender and tall,
=. se'enty-three, with face like parch-
@ ueni; ana gives the impression of being hard
LpI vanderbilt Is tall, slim, handsome, proud
.ooA'og man OF nearly eighty, straight as an ar
ion t:a, aStor has heirs to his estates; Wander
ON clt has children to whom he can leave bis
fortune; Stewart is childless. Astor's public
oeneiactons are confined to something like a
couple OF hundred thousand dollars, which he
gave to the Astor Library, and the two golden
caudesticks, nine feet high, which be recently
gave to Trinity Church. Vanderbilt has never
naue any public benefactions, excepting a
Steamship STE to the government during the war,
ull very recently when be gave million dol
lars Tor educational purposes-ope half Of this
sn sum to found University in Tennessee, and
Stewart has always had the reputation of being
pretty close listed; but be must be credited
VIII wlth his million dollar Home for Women,