POPULAR MISCELLANY. 



285 



however, be in its quantity rather than in its 

 kind, for, if the requisition of mixed food for 

 the health of the whole body be rudely inter- 

 fered with, some other function may suffer 

 and become deranged. " While, therefore, 

 we are ready to admit that stout persons 

 should be content with a less rich diet than 

 the spare - bodied, we are careful to pre- 

 serve its essentially mixed character, to limit 

 its consumption in quantity, and to rely for 

 disposal of the products of digestion mainly 

 on regular and methodical physical exer- 

 tion. There should be no difficulty about 

 this latter, seeing that it may be taken in 

 different forms suited to various ages and 

 constitutional types." 



Comparative Value of Disinfectants. 



Dr. W. J. Miller, of Dundee, has contrib- 

 uted to " The Practitioner " the results of 

 studies he has made on the efficiency of va- 

 rious disinfectants, in which he used vac- 

 cine as the experimental infectious matter! 

 His preference is decidedly expressed in fa- 

 vor of sulphur. Chlorine was found to be 

 a reliable disinfectant, the practical appli- 

 cation of which was, however, attended 

 with considerable inconvenience. Potassic 

 permanganate was declared not certain in 

 its effects. It possesses considerable disin- 

 fecting power, but is not as certain as it is 

 reputed ; but, as a deodorant, when it can 

 entirely cover the offensive matter, it is of 

 great value in the sick-room. Hydrochloric 

 acid, though not generally in use as a dis- 

 infectant, is of very certain efficacy. In 

 acetic acid, we have " a ready, safe, efficient 

 and cheap disinfectant." Sanitas failed to 

 verify the claims that had been set up in its 

 favor. Perchloride of mercury is pronounced 

 decidedly inferior in agency to several oth- 

 er disinfectants ; but, as it has been seen 

 that the virtue of infective inflammation 

 is destroyed by considerably weaker dilu- 

 tions of a disinfectant than vaccine, and 

 in view of the weight of authority by which 

 it has been introduced, the author will not 

 presume to throw doubt on its value in ob- 

 stetrical and surgical practice. The results 

 with chromic acid, creosote, and eucalyptus- 

 oil do not appear to have been definite. 

 Cupralum, in concentrated solution, imme- 

 diately destroyed vaccine, and ferralum and 

 terebene appeared to have the same power. 



Seven days' exposure to air saturated with 

 the vapor of camphor, killed vaccine, while 

 four days failed to do so. Chloralum is 

 uncertain. Boracic acid had little effect on 

 lymph, and salicylic acid in saturated solu- 

 tion was little more satisfactory. Davaine 

 found iodine the most certain disinfectant 

 for malignant pustules. Dr. Miller regards 

 vaccine as one of the most suitable viruses 

 with which to make the experiments, for 

 it exhibits stronger powers of resistance 

 against the action of disinfectants than al- 

 most any other contagium. Several general 

 conclusions are drawn from the experiments. 

 Thus, while it is very doubtful whether any 

 efficient disinfection of a sick-room can be 

 practiced while it is occupied, still atmos- 

 pheric disinfection may be useful to weaken 

 the contagium and impair its power of re- 

 production. Sulphur is the most efficient 

 and convenient substance to employ for this 

 purpose. The skin of the patient, particu- 

 larly the scarlet-fever patient, should be 

 sponged several times a day with diluted 

 acetic acid, preferably with the aromatic. 

 For the final disinfection of the sick-room 

 nothing equals sulphur. Clothing is disin- 

 fected by being exposed, with the fumes of 

 sulphur, to a temperature of about 250, for 

 three hours in a specially constructed cham- 

 ber ; excreta of patients, by mixture with 

 hydrochloric acid diluted to 1 to 20. For 

 hand disinfection, carbolic solution 1 in 20, 

 acetic acid, and sulphurous acid, are almost 

 certainly thoroughly effective. 



The Value of Recess. The subject of 

 " recess or no recess in schools " was re- 

 ported upon at the meeting of the National 

 Council of Education in Madison, Wis., last 

 July, and was remanded to the commit- 

 tee for further investigation, and to be re- 

 ported upon again, at the next meeting of 

 the Council, in July of this year. The com- 

 mittee, seeking facts of experience, has sent 

 out a circular of questions which it desires 

 answered by all persons connected with 

 sohools or interested in them. Among these 

 questions, reaching to the merits of the case, 

 are : What effect has the no-recess plan 

 upon the management of your schools, es- 

 pecially in the matter of the pupils' habits 

 or conduct ? Does or does not the no-recess 

 plan affect the duties and privileges of the 



