New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-09-27
THE EVIL ELEMENT
IN DISINFECTANTS
Effort To Be Made at Albany to
Prevent Sale of Fake Arti-
cleS of This Kind.
By DIR. CHARLES F. PABsT.

BY DR.. CHARLES F. PABST.
The law as it now stands in every
state, except Maryland, permits the
sale of disinfectants which do not dis
infect. The market at present ~ food
ed with worthless disinfectants, large
quantities OF which are sold to an UNI
suspecting public. At the next session
of the Legislature Senator William j.
Heffe,nan, of Brooklyn, will introduce
a bill that will compel manufacturers
to place on disinfectants labels show
ing the strength Of the mixtures as
compared with carbolic acid.
Health officials of twenty-three states
have expressed themselves in favor OF
bringing disinfectants under control
and Standardization. Prominent among
thes. are Colonel W. G. GOrgas and DR..
II. W. Wiley. Many experts declare
that legislation controlling dislniect-
ants is as vital to the welfare Of the
public as pure food laws, yet there IS
nothing to prevent the bOtt!mg and
selling of colOret water as disin-
fectant in New York and forty-siX
other states.
Thousands OF lives are sacrificed and
hundreds Of thousands Of dollars are
wasted annually in the United States
because Of the use Of preparations that
have not the power TO disinfect. Take,
for example, a case of typhoid fever or
diphtheria. The physician in charge
L.. hur oil cla
handled by the patient must he disin
fected, Is they carry the disease germs
TO others. Some popular disinfectant
is usually purchased, and the other
members Of the family trust their lives
to the power Of the disinfectant which
they happen TO buy At least % per
cent Of the disinfectants now sold are
utterly worthless. and the chances are
great that one Of those will be obtained
and the disease. instead Of being
checked, quickly spreads to other mem
bers Of the family, which may cause
the loss of several lives. This is due
directly TO the lack Of laws standard
ling and controlling disintectants.
The proposed hill provides that all
disinfectants made or sold i'm New York
State shall bear labels showing the
carbolic acid cOefiicient, or the rela-
tive germiCIdal powers of such prep
arations as compared with pure car
bolic acid. I'm determining this relative
germ destroying power the Ridcal-
Walker test is to be used. The other
sections of the measure deal with
adulteration and misbranding, and the
bill also provides heavy penalties for
violation Of the law. The Rideal- Walk
( er test was introduced in 1908 and now
} is employed by the United States De-
partment Of Agriculture in determin-
ing the germicidal value of disin-
fectants. II also has been adopted as
the official test throughout the British
Empire.
For years tons of bichloridc Of mer-
CuIy were used in India for disnfection
II cases Of plague, until it was proved
10 the satisfaction Of the government
that modern disinfectants possessed
tactericiial efficiency equal to that OF
blChlcrld". The Disadvantages of BIZ
chloride arc its highly poisonous char,
actcr and the fact that it has prac.
tIcalIy no germIcidal value when il
comes in contact with soap, serum OF
albuminOus matter.
\ disinfcctant having a RiGCal-Walk.
er cOefficient Of * germicidally five
times more efficient than pure carboliC
acid, but il the coeflicent is OIL then il
is only one-tcuth as effective as car.
hOilc acid. The test is free Tor the use
Of any one and can be easily carried
out by any bacteriologist
Some dislnfeC'8ntS now advertised
widely and sold nave been proved to be
so weak that il would require $50 worth
OF them % do the same work that can
be done with 81 worth of carbOlic acid
Physicians themselves frequently rec
Onmend Gisinfectants which are worth
less, as the average doctor knows very
little Regarding the germicidal value OF
disinfectants. He may understand
what constitutes a good disinfectant,
but only a meteorological test will
show the germicidal power Of a given
mixture. ] have seen a written state.
ment made by prominent physician
Of New York State recommending Il
I popular disinfectant, the analysis OF
/ which shows il has Rideal- W alker co,
efficient Of .03. In other words. il is
only three-one hundredths as strong as
carbolic acid, and it would require $50
worth o. it to do the work of 81 worth
Of caIbolic acid.
Many persons do not realize that an.
tiseptics, disinfectants and deoderants
are different. Antiseptics are drugs
that restrain the development Of germs,
but do not kill them. Disinfectants
are agents that kill germs, and deoder.
ants are substances that simply mask
disagreeablc smells, but do not eradi-
cate the cause. Many preparations
now sold as disinfectants are simply
deoderants. There are three classes OF
disinfectants- that are powerful,
but extremely poisonous; those that
: =
those that are powerful, but non-poi-
sonous. The last mentioned variety is
most desirable. Csrbolic acid and BIZ
i chloride of mercury are being discard
ed rapidly because Of their highly pol
/ sonous character.
There is only one remedy, Every
state should adopt measures similar to