Wingrave[21] suggests the use of Formamint for infants! He recommends that a tablet be crushed and wrapped in “butter cloth.” The ends of the cloth are to be tied with thread, the Formamint is to be moistened, and the packet is to be held in the mouth of the baby several times each day. [21] Wingrave: Lancet, London =2=:1067, 1906. Young[22] published the results of some experiments by himself and Delépine on the human throat. They dissolved a tablet in the mouth and made swab cultures with the following results: Immediately after taking the tablet 0 colonies 10 minutes after taking the tablet 35 colonies 30 minutes after taking the tablet 150 colonies [22] Young: Lancet, London =1=:975, 1908. They found no staphylococci at any time. Other results of swabbing various parts of the throat before and after the use of Formamint, reported by these investigators, show enormous reductions in the count, claimed to be due to the action of Formamint. The count was made on agar at 37 C., but they fail to state the time elapsing between taking the Formamint and making the swab. Young also reports favorable clinical results in cases of scarlet fever, diphtheria, sore throat, and the like. It must be noted, however, that they state that the mouth and fauces must first be thoroughly cleansed by swabbing and douching before Formamint is used. THE “CHEMICAL COMPOUND” CLAIM The claims made in the advertising literature of Formamint are very extravagant. Many are highly improbable. These statements will be discussed later. The statement is made that Formamint is a new chemical compound: “Formamint is Pentamethanallactose, 5 CHOH + C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁. It is an original combination of Formaldehyde with Lactose, a definite chemical compound. The Formaldehyde molecule is locked up in it until solution in the saliva takes place, when the Formaldehyde is liberated in its _nascent_ state and is therefore active without being irritant.” Furthermore the makers contend that this new chemical compound is entirely harmless. For example, Daus,[5] in an article on “The Disinfectant Action of Formic Aldehyde on Mucous Membranes,” declares: “No indication of irritant or other injurious action made its appearance even after large doses. The urine remained free from albumin and sugar.” Such statements as these are found in the advertising literature: “Formamint tablets are absolutely harmless and innocuous, even to little children.” “When dissolved in the saliva, Formamint Tablets liberate slowly Nascent Formaldehyde in a most active yet non-irritant form.” They maintain that Formamint is not only absolutely harmless, but actually beneficial to the tissues. It may be used “to tone up and strengthen the tissues, prevent hoarseness, and allay irritation in singers, public speakers,” etc.