ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Phenol is carbolic acid, a derivate of benzene. It was used as an embalming agent by the ancient Egyptians and more recently as a topical fungicidal agent and is a component of over-the-counter throat lozenges. It is soluble in water at concentrations of less than 7%. It is also soluble in glycerin. Phenol has local anesthetic properties at concentrations less than 2%, bactericidal at 1%, and bacteriostatic at concentrations below 0.2%. It is an extremely astringent antiseptic, capable of sterilizing to the point of cauterizing wounds. When injected to tissues at concentrations higher than 5%, phenol denatures the protein membrane of peripheral nerves and may cause tissue necrosis. When injected in or near a nerve bundle phenol has a neurolytic action on the myelin sheath or the cell membrane of axons, disrupting neuronal transduction, and reducing muscle overactivity (1).
