SMALLPOX 221 



a disinfecting solution in the room or in an adjoining 

 room. Subsequently they are to be subjected to the 

 action of steam or of boiling water. Woollen clothing, 

 carpets, curtains, etc., are best disinfected by steam. 

 But the room and its contents, after the patient has 

 left it, may be disinfected with formaldehyd gas or by 

 fumigation with burning sulphur. This disinfection 

 should, however, be attended to by an expert and is 

 to be followed by thorough washing of all surfaces 

 with a disinfecting solution, and subsequent scrubbing 

 with hot soap-suds, whitewashing of plastered walls, 

 free ventilation, and exposure of clothing, bedding, 

 etc., in the open air to direct sunlight. 



With reference to vaccination, which is our chief 

 reliance for preventing the spread of the disease, we 

 recommend the vaccination of infants and revaccina- 

 tion at the age of ten or twelve, as practised in Ger- 

 many. After this tests of the immunity of persons 

 of any age should be made, by revaccination, when- 

 ever smallpox is prevalent, or when the individual is 

 about to travel in countries where this preventive 

 measure is neglected or carried out in an indifferent 

 manner. 



Chicken-pox is a highly contagious disease which 

 fortunately is mild in character and does not contribute 

 to our mortality statistics. The fact that mild cases 

 of smallpox have not infrequently been mistaken for 



