A SAFE GERMICIDE

Shannon News, 28 May 1926, Page 4

A SAFE GERMICIDE

MAY BE SWALLOWED AT WILL. Hailed as a great discovery is that antiseptic which bears the formidable name hexy resorcinol, and, made by Mrs Veader Leonard and associates at the John Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, at Baltimore, Md., in co-operation with Dr. Treat B. Johnson, of Yale, is described as being .'-'twice as powerful as any other organic germicide ever made," yet perfectly safe to swallow —although' "50 times stronger than carbolic acid as a germ-killing agency." The search for a germicide that could destroy, all disease germs has been going on ever since the acceptance of the theory that germs were responsible for disease (says Current Opinion); .With hexylresorcinol, Dr. Leonard believes, the span of life can be' lengthened.. "Disease germs no longer need remain entrenched in the human body, 'but can be cast out, one and all." So far the experimenters have had considerable success with their germicide in curing ailments of the kidneys, intestines, and urinary tracts. They hope to demonstrate scientifically in the near future that other parts of the body can be as well cleaned of disease germs. ; '

About ten years ago Drs. Leonard . and Johnson began their experiments I with carbolic acid, then known as the most powerful germ-killer in existence. The only fault to be found with that agency was that when taken internally it killed man as well as germs. A large number of compounds wore tested, and finally tlie doctors hud successful results from one remotely related to the carbolic family .By changing the acid molecule slightly the acid was reduced to rcsorcinol, which happens to be as poisonous to man as the' acid itself. But soon the doctors, were evolving from the poisonous reduction the new germicide. Dr. Leonard at first fed the antiseptic to rabbits. They suffer ed no ill-effects so ho proceeded to take some himself. He was unharmed and in a short time six of his assistants were taking hcxylresoreinal daily doses which constantly increased in size so that its. effect on their bodies might b e studied.

'/ Finding that it had a beneficial effect on the kidneys and urinary tracts the germicide was first applied to the treatment o'f kidney ailments. Cases of kidney affection of long standing" were cleared up by the new agenev in 48 hours. The doctors say that the cures appear to be permanent, and the patients have not been harmed in any way.