MEDICAL INTELLIGENCER. JOHN G. COFFIN, EDITOR. THE BEST PART OF THE MEDICAL ART, IS THE ART OF AVOIDING PAIN. VOL. 5. TUESDAY, JULY 31, 1827. NO. 11. ON THE DISINFECTING AND MEDI- does this enable anatomists to CINAL CHLORURETS. An Essay on the Use of the Chlorurets of Oxides of Sodium and of Lime, as powerful Disinfecting Agents, and of the Chloruret of Oxide of Sodium, more especially as a Remedy of considerable Efficacy in the Treatment of Hospital Gangrene; Phagede nic, Syphilitic, and Illconditioned Ulcers; Mortification; and various other Diseases. By THOMAS ALCOCK, Member of the Royal College of Surgeons in London, &c. 8vo. pp. 152. London, 1827. pursue their offensive avocations without that disgusting odor which so frequently prevents these pursuits, but manufacturers of catgut, curriers, tallowchandlers, and all those artizans whose works are attended by the evolution of putrid effluvia, may now, at a very trifling expense, prosecute their operations without the slightest inconvenience. In the most crowded city no evil need result, nor even need the existence of such manufactories be known. They who are acquaint ed with the numerous contentions Ir must, we think, be confessed that have arisen from this source, by every unprejudiced person, the deterioration of property by that of late years the labors of the erection of offensive works, the French chemists have been the loss and inconveniences arisfar more extensive, and more ing to the proprietors of such productive of results in the high- works, if compelled to remove est degree valuable to society, them, and yet the absolute necesthan the exertions of their En- sity of enforcing their removal glish competitors. Their exami- from densely populated towns, nation of drugs, and the ability will well appreciate the great with which in many instances advantages that may be derived they have extracted the active from M. Labarraque's labors. principle from the bulky mass by Mr. Alcock, in the compilation which it is accompanied, have af- now before us, has very judiciousforded much greater facility than ly retained the French terms; before existed in administering and it would be very desirable the most powerful remedies. that this should always be done. But if we were to select that From the contrary course having discovery which promises the been pursued, it is often exgreatest advantages to a civilized tremely difficult to know what people, we should unquestionably preparations are exactly meant. fix on the disinfecting power of The preparations which have certain chlorurets. For not only been employed for decomposing . putrid effluvia, and thus destroying the offensive odor by which putrefaction is always accompanied, are the chloruret of soda, or oxide of sodium, and the chloruret of lime. The former, the chloruret of soda, may also be named chloride of soda, which, considering the soda as a compound of oxygen and sodium, or oxide of sodium, are very evidently synonymous terms. The preparation of this article has never been described, so far as we know, in any English chemical work. Mr. Brande, who, we believe, is the latest systematic writer on chemistry, has only mentioned the chloride of sodium, or common salt. The chloride, or chloruret of oxide of sodium, he seems to be unacquainted with. The chloruret of lime is the preparation formerly called oxymuriate of lime, and since, by Mr. Brande, designated as chloride of calcium, or chloride of lime. The term chloride is therefore a synonym of chloruret, and both are employed to point out those preparations into which the chlorine enters, without losing its own peculiar properties, and without the formation of an acid. With regard to the respective value of these two disinfecting agents, it appears from the experiments of M. Labarraque, that the chloruret of lime, and chloruret of oxide of sodium, are both equally efficacious in destroying putrid effiuvia at the moment; but the effects of the chloruret of the oxide of sodium are much more permanent than those of the chloruret of lime. The reason of this difference is easily explicable by the difference in the nature of the resulting salts. In both instances, the chlorurets pass into the state of hydrochlorates, or, in the old nomenclature, into muriates. Now the hydrochlorate of lime is a deliquescent, but the hydrochlorate of soda is an efflorescent, salt. The consequences of this difference is, that the former, though for a moment it destroys the offensive odor, affords, by attracting moisture, one of the conditions necessary for putrefaction; and after a longer or shorter time, the smell is reproduced. The latter, the hydrochlorate of soda, "acts as a preservative by coagulating the principle which commences putrefaction.” The following are M. Labarraque's instructions for employing the chloruret of lime, in order to destroy the effluvia of putrid animal bodies; and from these, the proper method of applying them in other circumstances, and where the putrifying masses are far more abundant, may readily be deduced. "Before approaching a corpse in putrefaction, a tub should be procured in which may be put a load of water, 24 litres, about 49 pints; pour into this a flagon, half a kilogramme = 1 lb. 1 oz. 10 dr. avoirdupois, of the chloruret of lime, and stir the mixture. "Dip a sheet in the water contained in the tub, and unfold it so as to be able to withdraw it with facility, and particularly so as to be enabled to extend it very quickly over the corpse. "To effect this, let two persons open the sheet and place it in the liquid, holding the ends on the edges of the tub let this be carried to the side of the body in putrefaction, and at the same instant let the wet sheet be drawn out of the tub and laid over the body. Soon afterwards the putrid odor ceases. "If blood, or any other fluid proceeding from the dead body, has flown on the ground, pour on this liquid one or two glassfuls of the chlorureted water; stir with a broom, and the putrid odor will disappear. This operation, however, ought not to be thus performed whenever the liquids spilled on the ground may become the subject of a chemical analysis: in this case the greatest quantity possible should be carefully collected; and it is when this has been effected, that the disinfection of the ground should be performed in the manner above mentioned. "If the infection has spread in the neighboring places, in the corridors, stairs, &c., the infect ed places are to be sprinkled with one or two glasses of liquid chloruret of lime, and the fetid odor will cease. "Care must be taken to moist en frequently with the liquid contained in the tub the sheet which covers the corpse: the reproduction of the putrid odor will thus be prevented. "As soon as the body has been removed, the sheet which has served for the disinfection should be washed in large quantities of water, dried and folded." To this, we have only to add the testimony of our own experience. ceive any part of the country where they may not be procured with very little trouble and expense. "When a therapeutic agent comes into general use, it is indispensable to regulate its mode of preparation, that the substance may be identical every where. He desires that these formula first, the chloruret of oxide of somay produce this effect. The dium,-chlorure d'oxide de sodium, is employed in topical and external application to wounds and ulcers affected with hospital gangrene, or of which the character is chloruret of oxide of calcium,gangrenous; the other, the chlorure d'oxide de calcium, or simply expressed, chloruret of lime, serves for the disinfection of amphitheatres, of sick wards, and of all places that become unhealthy by the presence of putrefied animal matters. "Chloruret of Oxide of Sodium. "Pure carbonate of soda,* 2 1-2 kilogrammes. Distilled water, 10 kilogrammes. If "Mix, and assure yourself that the liquor marks twelve degrees by the areometer of Beaumé. the liquor be too concentrated, which might happen if the salt has effloresced, add the necessary quantity of water to bring it to the degree indicated. If, on the contrary, the solution be too weak, a sufficient quantity of the carbonate of soda must be added. "If the carbonate of soda constantly retained the same quantity of water, it would only be necessary to fix the precise doses; As our principal object in the present article is to extend the knowledge of these preparations, we shall now insert the directions of M. Labarraque for forming them. They are fortunately so simple, that we can scarcely con- Pharmacopoeia. "The subcarbonate of the London but this salt is far from being at all times identical. "The liquor is put into a vessel Hydrochlorate of soda, common salt, 448 grammes. "To the opening of the balloon is luted a large bent tube, and an S tube, for the introduction of the diluted acid. The first tube dips into a vessel containing a small quantity of water, and from this same vessel a large bent tube proceeds to, and dips into the flagon or vessel containing the saline solution. "The apparatus being conveniently disposed, and the lutes well dried, the diluted acid, cold and mixed some hours previously with the water, is poured through the S tube, in the following proportions: this purpose one part of the chlo- Bengal indigo powdered, 1 part. "After the first, which is made by feeling one's way, the second ought to be made briskly, by adding at once the whole quantity of the solution of sulphate of indigo, which the preceding proof had required to arrive at a deep green. In acting promptly the discoloration is more decided, as observed by MM. Gay Lussac and Welter; which obliges us to make a third proof, after having added some parts of the sulphate of indigo to the second, to arrive at the green color, and in keeping account of this addition in the last experiment, which is the most conclusive. "If the solution of carbonate of soda be not sufficiently saturated with chlorine, a current of this gas should be again passed through Concotrated sulphuric acid, 576 it, to bring it to the fixed point. grammes. Water, 448 grammes. "The fire is applied under the sand bath, and is directed gradually, till the disengagement of the chlorine ceases. "The operation terminated, the apparatus is unluted, and the discoloring or bleeching power of the product is examined. For "The quantity of peroxide of manganese would be too considerable if this substance were always found of the first quality in commerce. Its excess does not in any case seem to be hurtful." "It might save much inconvenience either to have a stop cock at the bottom "M. Labarraque adds, that he of the vessel, or to withdraw, by a tube of the solution for the purpose of examipassed through the safety tube, a portion nation, before the apparatus be unluted. If the tube conveying the chlorine does not pass sufficiently near to the bottom of the alkaline solution, the upper part may be fully impregnated, whilst the lower portion of the liquid may not be of the required strength. This remark has been verified by Mr. Morson, who has paid considerable attention to the preparation of this chloruret; his apparatus is furnished with stopcocks, by which a portion of the preparation may be withdrawn for examination at any period during the process."-Ep. *A simple graduated tube or measure will answer the purpose."-ED. has here entered into superfluous details for the instructed apothecary; but though minute for practised chemists, these details have appeared to M. L. indispensable in the preparation of a medicament which till very lately had not been employed in medicine. He recommends that the preceding process should be followed to the letter, so as to obtain always an identical product, and thereby the same beneficial results; for it is known that in the preparation of certain medicaments, the mode of preparing them modifies their external characters, and even their virtues.* Chloruret of Oxide of Calcium. Chloruret of Lime.The process by which M. Labarraque makes this preparation is as follows: "Caustic lime is sprinkled with a small quantity of water, and allowed to slake completely. This damp powder is mixed with onetwentieth part of hydrochlorate of soda, and put into vessels of earthen ware of an elongated form, into which the chlorine ar * Mr. L. further adds, "I hope to be pardoned for this solicitude, when it is with this product at it is with all the produce of the hands of men, nothing is perfect. Very clever chemists, thinking perhaps that advantageous modifications might be made in this process, have made chlorurets which have not produced the same effects as those which I had caused to be tried. Nevertheless, I have not made any mystery respecting it, I have described the process with all the care of which I am capable; but it is impossible that this description should supply the habit of making it on a large scale, and of often performing the same operation." -The author deems it simply an act of justice to M. Labarraque to state, that he has found the chlorurets, obtained from M. L. at different times, very uniform in strength, and possessing the same medicinal properties.' rives. This gas is disengaged from a mixture similar to that employed to prepare the chloruret of oxide of sodium. Several apparatus are placed by the side of each other, according to need, always being careful that the chlorine arrives slowly into each of them, so that the combination may be made successively. This condition is essential to the success of the operation. "The hydrated lime, being sufficiently charged with chlorine, becomes moist, and on this phenomenon we are aware that the operation draws near to a close. "To assay its point of saturation, one part of the chloruret is diffused in one hundred and thirty parts of water, and this solution ought to destroy the color of four parts and a half of sulphate of indigo. "Mr. L. observes, the chloro meter of the celebrated Gay Lussac, described in another part of this work, is much more exact; and it is of this instrument we ought to avail ourselves to examine this chloruret, if we wish to employ it for degenerated burns, as M. Lisfranc has done with success. "For disinfections, the essential point is to saturate the mixture with chlorine, and the purity of the bases is less necessary for chloruret for this purpose than for that which is employed on living beings. " In considerable establishments, such as hospitals, &c. where daily disinfections may be required, we may make liquid chloruret of lime, and the following is the process : "Put into forty litres of water half a kilogramme of hydrochlorate of soda, and one and a half |