Carbolic soap

[1][2] In 1834, German chemist Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge discovered a phenol, also known as carbolic acid, which he derived in an impure form from coal tar.

In August 1865, Joseph Lister applied a piece of lint dipped in carbolic acid solution to the wound of an eleven-year-old boy at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, who had sustained a compound fracture after a cart wheel had passed over his leg.

[3][4] One of the earliest manufacturers of carbolic soap was F. C. Calvert and Company of Manchester, England, established in 1859 and taken over by Unilever in 1965.

[5][6] In the United States, the licence for manufacturing carbolic soap was held by James Buchan and Company.

[7] In 1894, William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme, introduced the Lifebuoy brand of carbolic soap to the market.

Bar of carbolic soap, demonstrating the rich red colour that gives the soap its alternative name, red soap