HOUSEHOLD BACTERIOLOGY 67 



Care of toilets. Public and private toilets should be disinfected very 

 frequently. The basin, bath, and the seat especially, need careful washing 

 with a disinfecting solution. Cloths and brushes used about the toilet 

 should be scalded and not used for other purposes of cleaning. * 



Careless dishwashing. The thorough washing of pans, kettles, and cans 

 makes housework and cooking far from easy, but in the long run it is 

 easier than caring for sickness or being disabled. It is not so difficult to do 

 the cooking when some one else does the cleaning up. The fewer the 

 creases in a cooking utensil and the more it is scalded, the better. Sun 

 and hot water are most beneficial agents for the safe care of kitchen 

 utensils. 



The refrigerator. The refrigerator might be called or> to tell many 

 tales of the life history of germs, for its recesses hide a multitude of secrets. 

 Slime left where the ice has melted shows the need of care in cleaning the 

 refrigerator, for here is food for bacterial life. The spilling of food on 

 the shelves is another source of the same trouble. Ice should be well 

 washed before being placed in the refrigerator. All bits of food should 

 be removed from the shelves and crevices, the refrigerator should be 

 often washed and scalded, and some antiseptic, such as washing-soda, 

 should be used. The chill of the refrigerator retards the growth of 

 micro-organisms, but probably does not destroy them. 



BACTERIA AND MILK 



As milk is one of the most important foodstuffs, especially for children, 

 it is very important that every housewife should understand something of 

 the effect of bacteria on it. Every one knows that milk contains a certain 

 number of bacteria. Some of the germs are in the udder itself, but most 

 of them get into milk after it is drawn. Dirty cows, dirty barns and 

 stables, dirty hands and clothes of the milker, and dirty utensils all con- 

 tribute to increase the number of germs in milk. If the milk is not properly 

 cooled and kept cold, bacteria multiply and produce many changes in 

 it which often trouble nurse and cook. 



The most common of the difficulties encountered in caring for milk is 

 the simple souring, or lactic-acid fermentation. In addition to this well- 

 known process, there are a number of other and more troublesome 

 changes, such as the appearing of bitter milk, slimy milk, and tainted 

 milk. 



The lactic fermentation, or common " souring," of milk is brought 

 about by a number of species of bacteria. Formerly it was supposed 

 thai a single species produced this change, which consists in the splitting 

 of the milk-sugar molecule into carbon dioxid and lactic acid. It is 



* A lesson on disinfection is in preparation. 



