Lysol is a saponified phenol, and possesses some germicidal power. It is used in strengths of 1 to 3 per cent. solutions.
Creolin is mildly germicidal and is used a great deal in from 2 to 4 per cent. solutions.
Both lysol and creolin act very much like carbolic acid, but neither possess its irritating qualities.
Formaldehyde Gas is an active germicide and very valuable as a disinfectant. It is used in the shape of formalin which is a 4 per cent. solution of the gas in water. This agent is very irritating to the normal tissues in the stronger solution, but a 2 per cent. solution of formalin may be used for the sterilization of the hands, instruments, etc.
The formaldehyde fumes are employed for the disinfection of clothing, rooms, bedding, and also for the sterilization of catheters. The fumes of the gas are very irritating to the mucous membrane and when this agent is used for the disinfection of rooms, every crevice and crack must be tightly sealed to prevent the escape of the gas.
Iodoform. The action of iodoform is not due directly to its ability to destroy germs but to its undergoing decomposition in the presence of moisture, liberating iodin and thus rendering inert ptomains that have resulted from the growth.
Iodoform Powder is rapidly absorbed by the skin and fatal cases of iodoform poisoning have occurred from treating burns with it. Iodoform is also used in ointment form and in suppositories. As it is insoluble in water it is commonly used in a 10 per cent. emulsion. The gauze is also greatly used.
The symptoms of iodoform poisoning are: delirium; odor of iodoform on the breath; presence of iodoform in the urine; eruption over the skin, and finally, coma. Iodoform is also capable of producing a localized dermatitis, with great irritation, and must therefore be used with care on all delicate skins.
Aristol, a substitute for iodoform, is a compound of iodin and thymol, producing no toxic effects and having no disagreeable odor; it does not, however, possess the germicidal qualities of iodoform. Nosophen, iodol, and airol are among the more recent substitutes.
Iodin. This drug no doubt possesses more germicidal properties than was at one time supposed. It is probably the most powerful antipyogenic known. The 7 per cent. tincture is the one most frequently used.