SANITARY VALUE OF WALL PAINTS 255 



On the border or on the body of walls decorated with such paints, 

 attractive stencil designs, which bring out in relief the color 

 combinations, may be applied. 



For the decoration of chambers and living rooms, delicate 

 French grays, light buffs, cream tints and ivory whites may be 

 used, while in the library and other rooms richer and more solid 

 colors, such as greens, reds, and blues, may be harmoniously 

 combined. 



Defects of Wall Paper. It recently occurred to the writer to 

 investigate the conditions which obtain in many apartment 

 houses in the larger cities. Inspection of a number of such 

 places, in which wall paper had been exclusively used on the 

 walls, showed generally bad conditions; bulging of the surfaces, 

 caused by dampness in the walls, which had loosened up the 

 binder, as well as peeling and dropping of the paper from the 

 ceilings, were frequently observed. In many cases a shabby 

 appearance was shown, accompanied by an odor which suggested 

 decomposition of the paste binder used on the paper. The writer 

 was impressed with the fact that such conditions could easily be 

 avoided by the very simple expedient of using properly manu- 

 factured wall paints, which are so easily made dustproof and 

 waterproof. 



Samples of wall paper, which had been applied to plastered 

 walls for a year or more, were obtained, and examination under 

 the microscope showed a most uncleanly surface. Cultures were 

 made of these samples, and bacilli of different types were de- 

 veloped in the culture medium in a short time. 



Experimental Evidence. That the above conditions could not 

 have existed, had proper wall paints been used, seemed doubt- 

 less, and suggested a carefully conducted experiment to prove the 

 relative sanitary values of wall paper and wall paints. A large 

 sheet of fibre board, such as is occasionally used to replace 

 plastered walls, was painted on one side with a high-grade wall 

 paint, three-coat work. A similar sheet was papered on one 

 side with a clean, new wall paper. These test panels were placed 

 where unsanitary conditions, such as dampness, foul odors, and 

 a scarcity of air were present. After a short period of exposure, 

 the panels were taken to the bacteriological laboratory and a 

 small section of the painted surface, about two inches square, as 

 well as a small section of the papered surface of similar size, were 



