254 PAINT TECHNOLOGY AND TESTS 



which are caught in the dust which collects on wall paper. As a 

 rule, both tenant and landlord are oblivious to all conditions 

 which cannot be readily seen or detected. Burning sulphur, one 

 of the most effective means of fumigation, will generally cause 

 bleaching and consequent fading of the delicate colors used in 

 printing the designs upon wall paper. Washing of the paper with 

 antiseptic solutions will destroy its adhesiveness to the plaster 

 and often cause bulging and general destruction. 



Hospital Practice. In hospitals, where it is necessary to 

 maintain sanitary conditions, the walls are invariably painted, 

 and requirements should demand the use of paints which can 

 be washed frequently, so that there will be no possibility of 

 uncleanliness. Inquiry made of a prominent surgeon l connected 

 with one of the large metropolitan hospitals substantiated the 

 writer's findings regarding the greater sanitary value of wall 

 paints, and brought forth the information that in hospitals 

 under construction provision had been made for the finishing of 

 walls so that a hard, non-absorbent, and washable surface might 

 be obtained. The same authority stated that the common 

 practice, in apartments and tenements, of covering the old wall 

 paper over with a layer of new each time a tenant moved in, 

 should be condemned, and that from a hygienic standpoint the 

 use of sanitary wall paints should be advocated in all dwellings 

 as well as public buildings. 



If such conditions are maintained in hospitals, where spe- 

 cial attention is paid to sanitation, it would appear that similar 

 precautions should be equally as necessary in public build- 

 ings and in dwellings wherever, in fact, people congregate 

 or live. 



Sanitary Wall Paints. There have recently appeared in trade 

 a number of wall paints composed of non-poisonous pigments 

 ground in paint vehicles having valuable waterproofing and 

 binding properties, and of a nature to produce the flat or 

 semi-flat finish that has become so popular. Such paints 

 produce a sanitary, waterproof surface, which permits of fre- 

 quent washing. By their use it is possible to secure a more per- 

 manent and a wider range of tints than can be obtained with 

 wall paper, as they are produced in a myriad of shades, tints and 

 solid colors, from which any desired combination may be selected. 

 !Dr. F. F. Gwyer, Cornell Uni. Med. Col., New York City. 



