CHEMICAL RESEARCH

Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 134, 9 June 1922, Page 8

CHEMICAL RESEARCH

INTERESTING RECENT DISCOVERIES.

In an address on "Disinfectants," at the last meeting of the Wellington Philosophical Society, Mr. W. Rest Mummery, E.1.C., expressed tho opinion that better methods of testing disinfectants were needed, not, as previously stated, a better supply of disinfectants. "The primary object of the paper was,'.' writes Mr. Mummery, "to point out that in the past the subject of disinfectants has been tho 'No ' Man's ,Land' between the chemical and medical professions; and only occasionally has a determined venture been made into this area by research workers from one side ■or the other. The greater part of the lecture dealt in detail with the theory of tho subject, the influence of the-, chemical constitution being emphasised in order to demonstrate the wide scope for research work that lies before tho chemist in the near future. I mentioned that this research would best be carried out, not by the chemist working singly, but by collaboration with a member of the medical profession. Finally, I referred to a coincidence that since the completion of Ike paper news has been received that T. 'H. Fairbrother, M.Sc. (Victoria), and A. Renshaw, M.D. (London), have been engaged in joint research work for four years on the 'Relation between Chemical Constitution and Germicidal Action .in the Coal Tar Dyestuffs.'. The paper, which was read on the 30th March, is only dealt with in a preliminary general report. It states that the paper is a welcome indication of tho success which attends collaboration on the part of tho practical, industrial scientist, such, as Mr. Fairbrother —who is a member of- the Technical Research staff of. the British Dyestnffs' Corporation—and the investigator of pathological problems, such as Dr. Renshaw, who is a member of tho Pathological staff of the University of Manchester and Bacteriologist for the Man-, Chester Royal Eyo Hospital. For example, a dye named 'Nile Blue' was ; discovered able to kill certain organisms termed protoyoa in dilutions as high as one part in 20,000; whilst another dye was found to kill the minute worm causing the tropical disease, filariasis, hitherto considered incurable."