STERILIZATION AND DISINFECTION IN THE PHARMACY. 193 



cotton. Place the plugged bottles in a hot-air sterilizer and heat for one 

 hour at 120 C. to 130 C. Keep these cleaned, sterilized, and cotton-plugged 

 bottles in clean container in a dry clean store-room, until wanted foroise. 



b. Porcelain and Similar Containers. May be cleaned and sterilized 

 like glassware. Plugging with cotton is as a rule inadmissible. 



c. Large Flasks, Jugs, Etc. Large containers are as a rule difficult 

 to sterilize and for this very reason are often subject to special neglect. 

 Proceed much as for bottles, observing greater caution as to changes in 

 temperature. Large bottles, carboys and similar containers cannot be 

 sterilized by means of boiling hot water as they are very apt to crack. They 

 may be sterilized by means of carbolic acid (5 per cent.), lysol (1.5 per cent.) 

 or formaldehyde (4 per cent.), then thoroughly rinsed in sterile water, allowed 

 to drain, plugged with cotton, carefully heated in hot-air sterilizer for one 

 hour or more at 115 to 120 C. Cool gradually. 



d. Tin Containers. Wash and rinse thoroughly in water; boil for thirty 

 minutes, drain and dry and sterilize in dry-air sterilizer for one hour at 100 C. 



B. Sterilization of Apparatus and Tools. It is of the highest importance 

 that mortar and pestle, spatulas, percolators, pill and suppository machines, 

 mixing plates, etc., etc., should be clean and sterile. This means a liberal 

 use of hot water, green or soft soap, and clean towels. The sink, the floor 

 of the dispensing room, the tables, chairs, desks, in fact everything in and 

 about the dispensing room should be scrupulously clean. 



C. Sterilization of Corks and Other Stoppers for Containers. It would be 

 energy wasted to clean and sterilize the containers if the stoppers are not 

 also clean and sterile. Sterilize corks by washing in hot 60 to 75 per cent, 

 alcohol, drain and heat in hot-air sterilizer for one hour at 130 C. Keep 

 these corks in sterilized wide-mouthed ground-glass capped bottles. Take 

 out corks as wanted by means of a sterile pair of pincers, not by means of 

 fingers. Other stoppers, as of glass, of wood, of rubber, must also be 

 cleaned and sterilized. Rubber caps, rubber stoppers, and other rubber 

 goods may be sterilized by boiling in water for thirty minutes. 



D. Sterilization of Surgical Supplies. a. Bandaging materials, cotton, 

 absorbent gauze, etc., may be sterilized by wrapping in cheese cloth or 

 filter paper, first placing a grain of fuchsin or other aniline dye in the center 

 of the package (wrapped in paper or cloth), and sterilizing in steam for one 

 hour. The dye particle is introduced as a test object to ascertain if the 

 steam has penetrated the entire package. If it has penetrated the entire 

 package it will be indicated by a spreading of the color. Afterward, dry 

 for one hour at 100 C. in the hot-air sterilizer. For this purpose the form 

 of Arnold steam sterilizer shown in Fig. 18 will be found very useful. 



b. Sewing materials, such as needles, forceps, catgut, etc., require careful 

 sterilization before using. All metal instruments and appliances, including 



