History
Phenol was discovered in 1834 by Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge who extracted it from coal tar. Coal tar remained the primary source until the development of the petrochemical industry.
The antiseptic properties of phenol were used by Sir Joseph Lister (1827–1912) in his pioneering technique of antiseptic surgery. Lister decided that the wounds themselves had to be thoroughly cleaned. He then covered the wounds with a piece of rag or lint covered in phenol, or carbolic acid as he called it. The skin irritation caused by continual exposure to phenol eventually led to the substitution of aseptic (germ-free) techniques in surgery.
Phenol is the active ingredient in some oral analgesics such as Chloraseptic spray and Carmex.
Phenol was the main ingredient of the Carbolic Smoke Ball, an ineffective device marketed in London in the 19th century as protecting against influenza and other ailments, and the subject of the famous law case Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Company.
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