Sources of Bacterial Infection 183 



The general recognition of the importance 

 of sanitation has brought to the front a host 

 of harpies who worry the people with foolish 

 tales of bacterial dangers in order to exploit 

 alleged disinfectants. 



Chemical disinfectants are seldom needed 

 in the household regime, except for the excreta 

 of victims of infectious disease. Then the 

 counsel of the doctor, not the fatuities of the 

 advertisers, should guide the selection. For 

 general purposes, soap, hot water, and proper 

 scrubbing are the best cleansers. 



It should be borne in mind that bad odors 

 in the habitations and assembly places of 

 mankind are to be prevented, not concealed. 

 The dribbling, at considerable expense, of aro- 

 matic oils and solutions about toilet-rooms 

 masking but not removing the sources and 

 risks of bad odors is a mark of one of the 

 more common triumphs of predatory misin- 

 formation, over the ignorance of well-meaning 

 householders and managers. 



