Abstract
The recent World War was instrumental, in connection with the impetus given to the search for antiseptics and parasiticides, in calling attention to the powerful antiseptics and germicidal properties of various essential oils; as for instance so well described by Cavel 1 and Fränkel 2 . This antiseptic action of volatile oils is undoubtedly responsible for the remarkable medicinal virtues of ancient balsams, especially in relation to the treatment and healing of wounds. An ethnological study of the habits and customs of ancient peoples, especially in the Orient, cannot fail to call attention to the extensive employment of incense, perfumes and fumigations among these people. Incense was burned in connection with the religious and sacrificial offerings on the one hand, and for esthetic purposes in private homes on the other. Again, powerfully odoriferous substances are in great vogue in the Orient as perfumes and not only are such drugs applied to clothing but very frequently the orientals fumigate their naked bodies directly with the smoke of aromatic herbs and spices, burned over glowing coals. These circumstances suggested to the authors the possibility that such perfumes and fumes may serve a hygienic as well as esthetic purpose by exerting an inhibitory effect on the growth and spread of microörganisms. Accordingly some experiments were undertaken in order to ascertain the value of such an hypothesis.
The authors subjected a number of gums, spices and other odoriferous substances to destructive dry distillation by heat and studied the effects of the fumes produced thereby on bacterial cultures. The following substances were investigated; gum olibanum, gum glabanum, storax, myrrh, saffron, cinnamon, benzoinum and various samples of domestic and Japanese incense. The various substances were heated in glass test tubes over a flame and the fumes were allowed to come in contact with various microorganisms, care being taken to exclude the germicidal effects of steam.
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