Antiseptics

Antiseptics (from Greek ἀντί anti, "against" and σηπτικός sēptikos, "putrefactive") are that are applied to living / to reduce the possibility of, , or. Antiseptics are generally distinguished from s by the latter's ability to safely destroy within the body, and from s, which destroy microorganisms found on non-living objects.

Some antiseptics are true germicides, capable of destroying microbes, while others are and only prevent or inhibit their growth.

s include antiseptics that have the proven ability to act against bacteria. s which destroy virus particles are called s or. s, also known as an s, are pharmaceutical s used to treat and prevent (fungal infection).

Surgery
The widespread introduction of antiseptic methods was initiated by the publishing of the paper  in 1867 by, which was inspired by 's. In this paper, Lister advocated the use of carbolic acid as a method of ensuring that any germs present were killed. Some of this work was anticipated by:
 * (circa 130–200) and (circa 400 BC) and ian clay tablets dating from 2150 BC that advocate the use of similar techniques.
 * Medieval surgeons, Theoderic of Servia, and his pupil were opponents of Galen's opinion that pus was important to healing, which had led ancient and medieval surgeons to let pus remain in wounds. They advocated draining and cleaning the wound edges with wine, dressing the wound after suturing, if necessary  and leaving the dressing on for ten days, soaking it in warm wine all the while, before changing it. Their theories were bitterly opposed by Galenist  and others trained in the classical tradition.
 * , who published The Contagiousness of Puerperal Fever in 1843
 * , who contributed substantially to the report of the (1856–1857), based on her earlier work
 * , who published his work The Cause, Concept and Prophylaxis of Childbed Fever in 1861, summarizing experiments and observations since 1847

Some common antiseptics

 * s, including and 2-propanol/ are sometimes referred to as . They are used to disinfect the skin before injections are given, among other uses.
 * is used as a skin antiseptic and to treat inflammation of the gums.
 * is an antiseptic and disinfectant which is used for skin disinfection and cleaning surgical instruments. It is also used within a number of household disinfectants and wound cleaners.
 * is used as a 6% (20 Vols) solution to clean and deodorize wounds and . More commonly, 3% solutions of hydrogen peroxide have been used in household first aid for scrapes, etc.  However, the strong oxidization causes scar formation and increases healing time during fetal development.
 * is usually used in an solution (called ) or as  solution as a pre- and postoperative antiseptic.  Some studies  do not recommend disinfecting minor wounds with iodine because of concern that it may induce scar tissue formation and increase healing time.  However, concentrations of 1% iodine or less have not been shown to increase healing time and are not otherwise distinguishable from treatment with saline.  Novel iodine antiseptics containing  (an, complex of , a water-soluble , with triiodide anions I3−, containing about 10% of active iodine) are far better tolerated, do not negatively affect wound healing, and leave a deposit of active iodine, thereby creating the so-called "remnant", or persistent, effect. The great advantage of iodine antiseptics is their wide scope of antimicrobial activity, killing all principal pathogens and, given enough time, even s, which are considered to be the most difficult form of microorganisms to be inactivated by disinfectants and antiseptics.
 * , currently increasingly used in continental Europe, often as a chlorhexidine substitute.
 * (polyhexamethylene biguanide, PHMB) is an antimicrobial compound suitable for clinical use in critically colonized or infected acute and chronic wounds. The physicochemical action on the bacterial envelope prevents or impedes the development of resistant bacterial strains.
 * is a mild antiseptic.
 * is a sodium hypochlorite solution, originally also containing boric acid to lower pH. It is mostly used on live tissues for cleaning wounds of bacteria, fungi and viruses. Because of practicality of preparation and lower cost, it is largely used in Veterinary Medicine treatments. It is colourless and does not stain the animal's fur or affect it's aesthetic or commercial value.
 * s (SOS) contain (HClO) (<0.005%) and are stabilised at a neutral pH. SOS are rapidly acting (30s-5m), broad spectrum antiseptics that are clinically effective at non-cytotoxic concentrations that in contrast to many cytotoxic antiseptics, support wound healing There is now growing consensus that modern SOS are more effective for healing wounds faster

Evolved resistance
After continued exposure to antibiotics, bacteria may to the point where they are no longer harmed by these compounds. Bacteria can also develop a resistance to antiseptics, but the effect is generally less pronounced.

The mechanisms by which bacteria evolve may vary in response to different antiseptics. Low concentrations of an antiseptic may encourage growth of a bacterial strain that is resistant to the antiseptic, where a higher concentration of the antiseptic would simply kill the bacteria. In addition, use of an excessively high concentration of an antiseptic may cause tissue damage or slow the process of wound healing. Consequently, antiseptics are most effective when used at the correct concentration—a high enough concentration to kill harmful bacteria, fungi or viruses, but a low enough concentration to avoid damage to the tissue.