698 MICROBIOLOGY OF THE DISEASES OF MAN AND ANIMALS. 



the careless patient, in anthrax because of the existence of resistant spores 

 possibly attached to furniture, etc.; in plague because of the intense 

 virulence of the organism and its tendency, like anthrax, to infect directly 

 through the skin. In the ordinary diseases of the temperate zone, 

 however, terminal disinfection cannot for a moment take the place of 

 concurrent disinfection and is unnecessary if the former be properly 

 carried out. 



METHODS OF DISINFECTION. 



CONCURRENT DISINFECTION. The disinfection of infected discharges, and of 

 everything coming in contact with the discharges, whether the discharges be of the nose, 

 mouth, bladder, or bowel, and whether the things which come in contact with the dis- 

 charges be utensils, clothing, hands, furniture, etc., should be done at once, as soon as 

 the discharges appear, or the articles, hands, etc., become contaminated. 



Bladder and bowel discharges deposited directly in proper sewer-connected toilet- 

 bowls require no disinfectant treatment; but the seat, door-knobs, toilet paper rack, 

 flush pull and so on, which the discharges may reach, directly or through the patient's 

 hands, should receive disinfection every time the toilet is used by such a patient. Where 

 bed-pans or urinal are used and then emptied into such a toilet-bowl, disinfection should 

 be done of the hands of the attendant who empties the pan, of the whole pan itself, 

 and of any part of seat or bowl (not reached by the flush) contaminated by splash or 

 dribbles from the bed-pan or urinal. 



Where out-door toilets or indoor toilets not connected with a sewer are in use the 

 discharges must always be disinfected preferably by half-filling the bed-pan or 

 urinal, before use, with a saturated solution of milk of lime (unslaked lime, in water, to 

 saturation cool and pour off the liquid parts) into which the discharges are received. 

 Where such toilets are used by the patient directly, an abundant layer of powdered 

 unslaked lime should cover the discharges as soon as they are deposited. Such layer 

 should be an inch deep. Precautions regarding the seats, door-knobs, hands, etc., 

 should be followed as above described. 



Soiled bed clothing or other clothing, handkerchiefs, etc., may be rolled up and 

 placed directly in boiling water; but if some interval must elapse before they can be 

 boiled, they should be put directly into 5 per cent carbolic acid solution, or o.i of i 

 per cent bichloride of mercury solution or other disinfectant of similar killing power for 

 at least half an hour. Thereafter they may be handled as uninfected clothing. 



Eating utensils after use should go directly into boiling water for several minutes 

 and then be washed in the ordinary way. Spoons used for medicine, toys, thermometers, 

 etc., which it may be inconvenient or impossible to put into boiling water, should be 

 immersed in 5 per cent carbolic acid or o.i per cent bichloride solution for half an 

 hour, then washed. 



These solutions may be used also for the hands and a large bowl of one or both of 

 them (carefully labelled, and out of reach of children, etc.) should be constantly 

 ready; into this the patients' and attendants' hands should be dipped after every con- 

 tamination. 



