Boro glycerine

Discovery

At a meeting of the Society of Arts, on March 29, 1882, Professor Barff delivered a lecture, in which he announced his discovery of boro-glycerine. Barff had been attempting to find a way in which boric acid, a known antiseptic, could be used to preserve meats, at a time when beef prices were considered high. He hoped to find a suitable alternative to freezing, which would allow cheap imports to be obtained from around the world.

Uses

Food preservation

As early as 1883, scientific reports recommended boro-glycerine as a safe, suitable preservative for a range of foods, including meat, oysters, milk, and butter. Various experiments, including shipping meats dipped in a boro-glycerine solution on long sea voyages, proved Barff's technique.

Historical medical

The discovery of a safe means to apply boric acid drew much attention within the medical profession, and by 1835 various experiments, relying on the antiseptic properties of boro-glycerine, were being carried out. Ailments ranged from psoriasis, and other scaly conditions of the skin, to chilblains, and the search for a treatment for cancer of the uterus.

Boro-glycerine found its way into many "medicinal" products, including shaving creams, in which it was considered a skin conditioner, and applied directly as a lip balm

Oral and dental

Boro-glycerine proved most effective as an oral and dental antiseptic. In particular, it is effective in the treatment of mouth ulcers, stomatitis, and glossitis. It is also frequently used as a wash for the care of the mouth in unconscious patients. It comprises 88% glycerin and 12% borax. Finely ground borax is dissolved in glycerin, and the solution is ready for use (Ref. IP 66).

Boro-glycerine can also be used as a suitable base in controlling the setting time of Zinc Oxide pastes whilst taking a dental impression.

Other medical

Boro-glycerine, in solution, is used in the treatment of conjunctivitis, earache, and ear infections, and is a suitable antiseptic lotion in cases of ophthalmia, and diphtheria.

Various

Alfred P. Wire recommended boro-glycerine as a mounting medium in the preparation of microscope slides.

References

References

1. The Morning Herald (Jul 22, 1883) ''A Half Dozen Scientific Notes'' [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UAVCAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_LgMAAAAIBAJ&dq=boro-glycerine&pg=5836%2C2375978 Science Section] Retrieved June 2011
2. It is a powerful [[antiseptic]] and is used primarily in [[mouth. oral]] and [[Dentistry. dental]] applications. Historically, it was also used in the [[food preservation
3. Waikato Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1548, June 6, 1882, Page 2. [http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=WT18820606.2.7 Retrieved June 2011]
4. Culbertson, J.C. (1835) ''The Cincinnati lancet and clinic'' Volume 16; Volume 55 [https://books.google.com/books?id=ZLtXAAAAMAAJ&q=boro+glycerine&pg=PA174 p. 174.] Retrieved June 2011
5. 1-4446-5233-8 Retrieved June 2011
6. Culbertson, J.C. (1835) ''The Cincinnati lancet and clinic'' Volume 16; Volume 55 [https://books.google.com/books?id=ZLtXAAAAMAAJ&q=boro+glycerine&pg=PA604 p.604.] Retrieved June 2011.
7. ''The Morning Leader''. (Oct 11, 1923) [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YQhTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5jcNAAAAIBAJ&dq=boro-glycerine&pg=3408%2C1455524 Advertisement] Retrieved June 2011
8. The Montreal Gazette (Sep 25, 1923) [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=w20tAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QooFAAAAIBAJ&dq=boro-glycerine&pg=5733%2C4828943 Advertisement] Retrieved June 2011
9. The Carroll Herald (May 13, 1896) [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ojcoAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JgUGAAAAIBAJ&dq=boro-glycerine&pg=6650%2C6040226 Secret of Pretty Lips] Retrieved June 2011
10. 81-7021-244-8 Retrieved June 2011
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12. 81-8061-583-9 Retrieved June 2011
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14. 81-7179-738-5 Retrieved June 2011
15. 81-7021-587-0 Retrieved June 2011.
16. 81-7024-454-4 Retrieved June 2011
17. 81-7154-143-7 Retrieved June 2011
18. ''Hardwicke's Science-Gossip'' (1885), pages 139-140 (figure 4). Quoted at [http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artfeb09/bs-wire.html Microscopy-UK.org] Retrieved June 2011