Disinfecting Powers of Increased Temperatures. ay 
The circumstances under which the experiments were conducted, 
render it, I think, demonstrable that the disinfecting agency belongs 
to heat alone; for the receptacle, in which the infected waistcoats 
reduced to their simplest form and the results put us in posses- 
sion, of a disinfecting agent, the most searching that nature af- 
fords ;—one that penetrates into the inmost recesses of matter in all 
its various states. As a disinfectant of articles which are capable of 
imbibing and retaining contagion, heat is greatly superior to the va- 
pours or gases use ed for the same purpose ; inasmuch as the trans- 
mission at the latter may be stopped by a few folds of compressed 
materials; while heat, if time enough be allowed, finds its way in 
spite of all obstacles. ‘To avoid being misunderstood, I must how- 
ever repeat, that it is to the destruction, by heat, of contagion exis- 
be in substances technically called ‘ susceptible,” that I limit the 
roposal ;—for instance, to infected clothing of every Site OE ; 
to infected bedding and bed-furniture of every kind that would b 
spoiled by washing ; to trunks and other packages brought by ca 
lers from infected places; and to merchandize, whenever it can be 
shown, or rendered highly probable, that sueh merchandize has 
been in the way of imbibing contagious matter. 
This is not the fit occasion for obviating anticipated difficnlties, 
ee out of the consideration of practical details. A few of these 
ave been candidly stated to me, and have led to actual trials, chiefly 
as respects time and labor, the results of which have been satisfac- 
tory to the objectors themselves. The remaining element of calcu- 
lation, the expense of apparatus and fuel, Iam unable to supply ; 
but much observation of the use of steam, on a large scale, induces 
me to believe that the cost of producing and of applying it to this 
purpose would be far more than compensated, by the great and mani- 
eo a ne srr a re aa 
* After taking os pains to obtain information, I have not been able to satisfy 
myself whether a nd wha 
tagion 2 steele 
any other to be a vehicle * Infection viz. 
na a into this try. 
Letters, which are often nate almost — by fumigation, might be disin- 
a in this way, if closed not wit co sealing-wax, ith Writing-paper 
by experiment, begins to turn brown a por under 300°; but it still retains 
its feilecte: and the ink is not er changed. 
er, wh 
old rags, of which large cargoes are 
