Excerpt from Studies From the Otho S. A. Sprague Memorial Institute, Vol. 10: Collected Reprints

The power of phenol to inhibit the growth of the human tubercle bacillus is greatly increased by the substitution of a mercury salt in place of one of the hydrogens, - hence a mercury united by one bond to carbon.

It is also increased by the substitution of one no2 group for one hydrogen in the ring.

The position of the no2 group has much to do with the degree of increase of the inhibitory power, the ortho position being most favorable and the para position next. This is probably due to a quinoidal change in the phenol nucleus.

The position of the mercury group also has much influence on the degree of increase of inhibitory power, the ortho position seeming most favorable.

The mercury bridge compounds seem also to have a high inhibitory power, at least in the two compounds tested, in both of which the bridge occupies the ortho position.

Although saligenin or phenol carbinol has the same inhibitory power as phenol, the mercury derivatives of this have a greatly increased efficiency, varying somewhat with the percentage of mercury; one compound, however' which has less mercury but in which both a nitro and a mercury group occupy the ortho position with respect to the hydroxy group, has a higher inhibitory power.

In the aniline compounds also the substitution of a mercury group greatly increases the efficiency.

The nitro group also increases the inhibitory efficiency but not in the same order of position as in the nitro-phenols, Since the quinoid change does not readily take place in the aniline nucleus. However, the aniline compounds having the nitro group in the ortho position and the mercury salt in the para position seem more efficient than if the order is reversed.

Methyl and ethyl groups do not materially affect the antiseptic power Of the aniline compounds, although these compounds having methyl or ethyl groups plus nitro groups plus mercury groups have a very high antiseptic power, not apparently varying much either with the percentage of mercury or with the relative position of the different groups.

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