_Director of the Pasteur Institute of New York_.
GENTLEMEN:—Since the discovery of the peroxide of hydrogen by
Thenard, in 1818, the therapeutical applications of this oxygenated
compound seem to have been neglected both by the medical and surgical
professions; and it is only in the last twenty years that a few
bacteriologists have demonstrated the germicidal potency of this
chemical.
Among the most elaborate reports on the use of this compound may be
mentioned those of Paul Bert and Regnard, Baldy, Péan and Larrivé.
Dr. Miguel places peroxide of hydrogen at the head of a long list of
antiseptics, and close to the silver salts.
Dr. Bouchut has demonstrated the antiseptic action of peroxide of
hydrogen, when applied to diphtheritic exudations.
Prof. Nocart, of Alfort, attenuates the virulence of the symptomatic
microbe of carbuncle before he destroys it, by using the same
antiseptic.
Dr. E. R. Squibb,[5] of Brooklyn, has also reported the satisfactory
results which he obtained with peroxide of hydrogen in the treatment of
infectious diseases.
Although the above-mentioned scientists have demonstrated by their
experiments that peroxide of hydrogen is one of the most powerful
destroyers of pathogenic microbes, its use in therapeutics has not been
as extensive as it deserves to be.
In my opinion, the reason for its not being in universal use is the
difficulty of procuring it free from hurtful impurities. Another
objection is the unstableness of the compound, which gives off nascent
oxygen when brought in contact with organic substances.[6]
Besides the foregoing objections the surgical instruments decompose the
peroxide, hence, if an operation is to be performed, the surgeon uses
some other antiseptic during the procedure, and is apt to continue the
application of the same antiseptic in the subsequent dressings.
Nevertheless, the satisfactory results which I have obtained at the
Pasteur Institute of New York with peroxide of hydrogen, in the
treatment of wounds resulting from deep bites, and those which I
have observed at the French clinic of New York, in the treatment of
phagedenic chancres, varicose ulcers, parasitic diseases of the skin,
and also in the treatment of other affections caused by germs, justify
me in adding my statement as to the value of the drug.
But, it is not from a clinical standpoint that I now direct attention
to the antiseptic value of peroxide of hydrogen. What I now wish
is merely to give a full report of the experiments which I have
made on the effects of peroxide of hydrogen upon cultures of the
following species of pathogenic microbes: Bacillus anthracis, bacillus
pyocyaneous, the bacilli of typhoid fever, of Asiatic cholera, and
of yellow fever, streptococcus pyogenes, micro-bacillus prodigiosus,
bacillus megaterium, and the bacillus of osteomyelites.
The peroxide of hydrogen which I used was a 3.2% solution, yielding
fifteen times its volume of oxygen; but this strength reduced to about
1.5%, corresponding to about eight volumes of oxygen, by adding the
fresh culture containing the microbe upon which I was experimenting.
I have also experimented upon old cultures loaded with a large number
of the spores of the bacillus anthracis. In all cases my experiments
were made with a few cubic centimetres of the culture in sterilized
test-tubes, in order to obtain accurate results.
The destructive action of peroxide of hydrogen, even diluted in the
above proportions, is almost instantaneous. After a contact of a few
minutes, I have tried to cultivate the microbes which were submitted to
the peroxide, but unsuccessfully, owing to the fact that the germs had
been completely destroyed.
My next experiments were made on the hydrophobic virus in the following
manner:
I mixed with sterilized water a small quantity of the medulla that
had been taken from a rabbit that had died of hydrophobia, and to
this mixture added a small quantity of peroxide of hydrogen. Abundant
effervescence took place, and, as soon as it ceased, having previously
trephined a rabbit, I injected a large dose of the mixture under the
dura mater. Slight effervescence immediately took place, and lasted
a few moments, but the animal was not more disturbed than when an
injection of the ordinary virus is given. This rabbit is still alive,
two months after the inoculation.
A second rabbit was inoculated with the same hydrophobic virus, which
had not been submitted to the action of the peroxide, and this animal
died at the expiration of the eleventh day, with the symptoms of
hydrophobia.
I am now experimenting in the same manner upon the bacillus
tuberculosis, and if I am not deceived in my expectation, I will be
able to impart to the profession some interesting results.
It is worthy of notice that water charged, under pressure, with fifteen
times its volume of pure oxygen has not the antiseptic properties of
peroxide of hydrogen. This is due to the fact that when the peroxide
is decomposed nascent oxygen separates in that most active and potent
of its conditions next to the condition, or allotropic form, known as
"ozone." Therefore, it is not illogical to conclude that ozone is the
active element of peroxide of hydrogen.
Although peroxide of hydrogen decomposes rapidly in the presence of
organic substances, I have observed that its decomposition is checked
to some extent by the addition of a sufficient quantity of glycerin;
such a mixture, however, cannot be kept for a long time, owing to the
slow but constant formation of secondary products, having irritating
properties.
Before concluding, I wish to call attention to a new oxygenated
compound, or rather ozonized compound, which has been recently
discovered, and called "glycozone," by Mr. Marchand.
This glycozone results from the reaction which takes place when
glycerin is exposed to the action of ozone, under pressure—one volume
of glycerin with fifteen volumes of ozone produces glycozone.
By submitting the bacillus anthracis, pyocyaneous, prodigiosus, and
megaterium to the action of glycozone, they were almost immediately
destroyed.
I have observed that the action of glycozone upon the typhoid fever
bacillus, and some other germs, is much slower than the influence of
peroxide of hydrogen.
In dressing of wounds, ulcers, etc., the antiseptic influence of
glycozone is rather slow if compared with that of peroxide of hydrogen,
with which it may, however, be mixed at the time of using.
It has been demonstrated in Pasteur's laboratory that glycerin has
no appreciable antiseptic influence upon the virus of hydrophobia;
therefore, I mixed the virus of hydrophobia with glycerin, and at the
expiration of several weeks all the animals which I inoculated with
this mixture died with the symptoms of hydrophobia.
On the contrary, when glycerin has been combined with ozone to
form glycozone, the compound destroys the hydrophobic virus almost
instantaneously.
Two months ago, a rabbit was inoculated with the hydrophobic virus,
which had been submitted to the action of this new compound, and the
animal is still alive.
I believe that the practitioner will meet with very satisfactory
results with the use of peroxide of hydrogen for the following reasons: