E. Laplace (Deutsche Med. Wochenschrift, No. 40, 1887), after repeated
and careful examinations and experiments, became convinced that dressing
materials consisting of wood-wool, made with sublimate in the usual
manner, were far from being germless themselves, much less efficient as
antiseptic applications. Gauze, however, showed much better results, but
were far from realizing an idealistic asepsis. He likewise found that
ordinary sublimate, in the presence of albuminous material, is quickly
precipitated and becomes at once ineffective. L. experimented at first
with hydrochloric acid as a means of preventing changes in the sublimate
from occurring in the presence of organic matter, and particularly
albuminous material. But, as hydrochloric acid itself was far from
possessing the stability needful for the purpose of preparing dressings,
he substituted for it, with the most gratifying results, tartaric acid.
The proportions are as follows: sublimate, 1 part; tartaric acid, 5
parts; distilled water, 1,000 parts.