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.