ANTISEPTIC WASHES 17 



accumulation of pus, we should be careful that the knife, or 

 needle, has no bacteria on it. The needle may be heated 

 red-hot and used as soon as cool, with perfect safety. The 

 same treatment would ruin a knife, however, and the latter 

 should be boiled for twenty minutes to secure absolute steril- 

 ization, although two or three minutes will be long enough in 

 most cases. Sterilization may be thought of as the removal 

 of undesirable bacteria. Thus cooking food protects us, as 

 there may be harmful bacteria present which will be killed 

 by the heat. 



References : 



1. 1710 : 113. Effect of Steam upon Germs. 



2. 1901 : 110-112. Death Temperature of Bacteria. 



3. 1901 : 191-196. Pasteurization. 



a. 1505 : 162-164. Protection against Disease Germs. 



b. 1507 : 73. Sterilization and Disinfection. 



c. 1508 : 80. Pasteurization. 



d. 1902:171-176. Sterilization and Pasteurization. 



13. ANTISEPTIC WASHES DISINFECTANTS 



We know that when we have a cut or bruise, bacteria of 

 disintegration and disease may enter and attack it. In this 

 event a large scab is formed, and often the place becomes a 

 running sore. We know that this scab and the oozing ma- 

 terial are composed wholly of dead white corpuscles, which 

 have lost their lives fighting with bacteria. On the other 

 hand, if we treat a cut or bruise with some antiseptic, 

 which tends to kill all harmful bacteria, the wound will 

 get well without any large scab, and without any oozing of 

 pus. Perhaps the best agent we can use for this purpose, 

 and the handiest, is corrosive sublimate. It comes in 

 tablets, of such a size that the solution of one tablet in a 

 c 



