EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS 341 



x'egarcling disinfectants treats of them in the abstract, their comparative worth, 

 and inferentially the cost. It now remains to apply these agents to the disinfection 

 of the things farmers are most likely to have. Only the methods are given which 

 will yield the best results at the least possible expense of time and money. 



No method is effiective unless it is carried out in a thorough manner. Some sur- 

 geons operate without having any pus form in the wound: other surgeons operate 

 and always have more or less pus formation in the wounds, even in these days of 

 aseptic and antiseptic surgery. In the former case, the surgeon is careful and fol- 

 lows bacteriological laws exactly; in the latter case, the surgeon is exceedingly 

 careless or is ignorant of these laws. Ignorance in such a case is no excuse, because 

 every surgical operation is founded upon these laws. This is equally true of disin- 

 fecting operations. If tliere is a willingness to abide by the established rules of 

 practice, good results will be obtained, but if there is an indifference and a dis- 

 regard for sxTch methods, no reliance can be placed upon the results. First, under- 

 stand the method, then follow it with painstaking care. 



DISINFECTION OF INSTRUMENTS. 



Knives, saws, axes, shovels are included as a representative of the instruments 

 which may be iised about animals having died of some contagious disease, or per- 

 haps may be wanted for use in some surgical or post-mortem work in connection 

 with animals. 



Boiling or steaming for two or three minutes is tlie most suitable and most effective 

 way of sterilizing instruments. This temperature will kill the most formidable 

 pathogenic germs and will render said instruments free from danger. This method is 

 sometimes impracticable, and in its place a chemical solution may be substituted. 

 For this purpose, a five per cent solution of carbolic acid will render the instru- 

 ments innocuous. They should remain in the solution at least thirty minutes, and 

 the solution should permeate every particle of material that may be upon the in- 

 struments and shotild cover their entire stirface. It would be well to remove all ad- 

 herent material tipon the instruments before putting them into the solution and 

 burn this material in a flame. A soltition of corrosive stiblimate should never be 

 substituted for carbolic acid because of its corrosive action on metallic substances. 



DISINFECTION OF DISHES. 



Dishes used by persons sick with infectious or contagious diseases should always 

 be disinfected and diligently cared for. A repetition in part of what has already 

 been said may be pertinent. 



It frequently happens that a single member of a family is confined to a certain 

 part of the house with some contagious disease. At stich times, the food is usu- 

 ally prepared in the kitchen and carried to the door of the sick chamber, where it is 

 left for the nurse to convey to the patient. Dishes handled by the pa^tient and nurse 

 and exposed to the contagion of the disease in the room cannot escape becoming 

 infected, and shotild not. under any circumstances, be carried back to the kitchen 

 to pass throtigli the ordinary cleaning process withotit additional attention. At 

 the door of the sick chamber should be a pail of hot water to receive these dishes. 

 and the water should be brought to the boiling point before the dishes are re- 

 moved. By this means it is possible to confine the disease germs to the room of 

 the patient, provided the nurse does not go beyond the room. This also applies to 

 dishes tised by tuberculous patients who are at large; that is. the dishes used by 

 them should undergo disinfection in boiling water. 



Pails and buckets belonging to the house or barn, if brought in contact with any 

 infectious or contagious disease, should also be thorotighly disinfected. The same 

 pail or bucket should never be used to feed both the sick and the well, whether 

 man or animal. If animals are confined on accotxut of some contagious disease 

 they should have their individual pails. This is essential if success be attained by 

 the method of isolation. 



DISINFECTION OF CLOTHES AND RAGS. 



When clothes and rags ai'e ttsed for cleaning articles contaminated with disease 

 germs, or when employed about patients with contagious or infectious disc.-ises or 

 purulent sores or wounds, there is only one safe way by which disinfection may 

 take place, and that is by iDurning. It is true that such articles ma.v be boiled and 



