DISINFECTION AND STERILIZATION. 169 



sick person, especially upholstered furniture, carpets, 

 and curtains, should be removed from the room before 

 placing in it the sick person. 



Agents for Cleansing and Disinfection. 



Too much emphasis cannot be placed upon the im- 

 portance of cleanliness, both as regards the person and 

 the dwelling, in preserving health and protecting the 

 body from all kinds of infectious disease. Sunlight 

 and fresh air should be freely admitted through open 

 windows, and personal cleanliness should be attained 

 by frequently washing the hands and body. 



Cleanliness in dwellings, and in all places where men 

 go, may, under ordinary circumstances, be well main- 

 tained by the use of the two following solutions : 



1. Soapsuds Solution. For simple cleansing, or for 

 cleansing after the methods of disinfection by chemicals 

 described below, one ounce of common soda should be 

 added to twelve quarts of hot soap (soft soap) and water. 



2. Strong Soda Solution. This, which is a stronger 

 and more effective cleansing solution and also a feeble 

 disinfectant, is made by dissolving one-half pound of 

 common soda in three gallons of hot water. The solu- 

 tion thus obtained should be applied by scrubbing with 

 a hard brush. 



When it becomes necessary to arrest putrefaction or 

 to prevent the spread of contagious diseases by surely 

 killing the living germs which cause them, more powerful 

 agents must be employed than those required for simple 

 cleanliness, and these are commonly called disinfectants 

 The following are some of the most reliable ones: 



3. Heat. Complete destruction by fire is an abso- 

 lutely safe method of disposing of infected articles of 



