DISINFESTATION 59 



piece which would just melt entirely in twenty 

 minutes at this temperature would be used, being 

 put into the coolest part of the chamber. If, 

 when the chamber was opened, this was seen to 

 have entirely melted it would be known that the 

 load had been safely treated. If a piece remained 

 floating in the melted wax it would be obvious 

 that there was some flaw in the working of the 

 machine. The same piece of wax, kept in a 

 vessel, could be used time after time. 



An ideal disinfestor for army purposes has 

 yet to be invented. Its requisites are : that it 

 should be rapid in operation, attaining the 

 necessary temperature quickly ; it should be 

 easy to load and unload ; it should be inexpensive 

 in initial cost and in operation ; it should be 

 portable. With many patterns there is much 

 time lost in loading and unloading, since the 

 chamber must cool to some extent for the operators 

 to enter, and thus heat is lost. Some of this time 

 would be saved if each chamber was fitted with 

 an extra wooden rack for the clothing, which 

 could be loaded while the machine was operating 

 on the other, and when the latter was finished it 

 could be withdrawn for unloading and the other 

 thrust into its place. An oven of this type would 

 operate nearly twice as quickly as one with a 

 single rack. Such an idea is incorporated in one 

 of the chambers most used in France. In any 

 type the hot air or steam should circulate and 

 not be stationary, as by this means an even 



