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Antiseptic detergent mixtures containing hexachlorophane or iodine have been found to cause a large reduction in the " resi- dent " skin flora when used repeatedly for washing the hands- an effect which was not obtained by the use of ordinary soap and water (Traub, Newhall, and Fuller, 1944 ; Seastone, 1947; Lowbury, Lilly, and Bull, 1963). Hexachlorophane has little immediate effect after a single application, but repeated use of the antiseptic causes a progressive reduction in the number of resident organisms. The poor activity of hexachlorophane against Gram-negative bacilli is another limitation which does not affect its value in reducing the resident flora, among which Staphylococcus aureus is the only common pathogen.
Lowbury et al. (Sat,) studied this question.