226 VETERINARY HYGIENE 



and then well scrubbed with it. It should then be rinsed in clean 

 water and hung up to dry out of the sun. When dry a good rub- 

 bing with harness composition or with soft soap will prevent it 

 from becoming brittle. Re-padding may then be done. 



DISINFECTION OF DRAINS. Some disinfectants and so-called 

 disinfectants on the market bear on their labels directions to pour 

 so much of the particular fluid into the drains for disinfection or 

 deodorant purposes. This procedure is, of course, of benefit to 

 the producer since it disposes of more of the material than would be 

 effected by more useful methods. Here the utility of the practice 

 ends. In the first place no drains under normal circumstances 

 should need disinfecting or deodorising, if they smell they are faulty 

 and need reconstructing. 



So far as the actual disinfection of drains is concerned this is 

 very seldom necessary, and is indeed practically impossible to 

 carry out satisfactorily. In veterinary practice only the spores of 

 anthrax require consideration, and it is due to carelessness or 

 ignorance that these gain access to a drain. 



The B. anthracis is a dangerous organism to be present in any 

 system of drainage. If in a public system it may reach a sewage 

 farm and cause the disease among cattle fed off the produce 

 gathered from the farm. Such instances must, however, be very 

 rare. In any case the disinfection of a drainage system presents 

 many difficulties. Pouring liquid disinfectant down the drains as 

 is so commonly done is quite useless owing to the great dilution 

 to which the fluid is immediately subjected, and because it so 

 rapidly passes away. Should it become necessary to disinfect a 

 system, then the outlets of the various sections must be carefully 

 plugged, the drains and pipes filled to their utmost capacity with the 

 selected disinfectant, which must be left in situ for a sufficient length 

 of time. Sulphate of iron is recommended, 1 Ib. to each gallon of 

 fluid. 



The ordinary gully traps used in stable yards very often become 

 evil-smelling; in nearly every case this is due to imperfect and 

 infrequent flushing. A few spoonfuls of disinfectant will not cure 

 the evil, but a weekly cleansing of the container bucket and a 

 thorough flushing with water may be depended upon to ensure that 

 no smell will be noticed, provided that otherwise the system is sound. 

 Strong-smelling " disinfectants " (such as coal-tar products) act as 

 deodorants by masking evil smells, but they usually fail to destroy 

 the aerogenic organisms. The danger of using " deodorant disin- 

 fectants " is for this reason very real. 



DISINFECTION OF CATTLE AND HORSE TRUCKS. The cleansing 



