Excerpt from Technical Drug Studies Hydrogen peroxid was discovered by P. Thenard in 1818 by the action of dilute acids on barium peroxid in the presence of water. It occurs in minute quantities in the atmosphere and is formed by the oxidation of many substances in the presence of water, for example, phosphorus, zinc, cadmium, tin, bismuth, copper, turpentine, and certain essential Oils. It is also generated in appreciable quantities in the metabolic processes of chlorophyll-bearing plants. Hydrogen peroxid was considered a chemical curiosity for many years after its discovery, but was finally introduced as a medicinal agent by B. W. Richardson in 1856. It was believed for a long time by some to be a specific in the treatment of diphtheria, but this is now known to be a fallacy. Hydrogen dioxid is, however, known to be a most valuable germicide and antiseptic and is probably used more generally by the public and the several professions handling medicinal agents than any other single germicide. Numerous investigations have been made to devise methods that would yield a suitable product without the use Of preservatives, but the results have not been entirely satis factory. The experiments undertaken to find a preservative which would minimize the rate of deterioration were apparently more successful. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.