CHAPTEE VI. 



PKACTICAL DIRECTIONS FOR DISINFECTION. 



Excreta : It has already been pointed out that mercuric 

 chloride and carbolic acid when mixed with typhoid or diar- 

 rhoeal stools, for the purpose of disinfection, fall far short of 

 producing the desired result, and as the excreta are the most 

 common means for conveying infection in typhoid, it is mani- 

 fest that any disinfection to be of value must be absolute. 

 Excretions and discharges from the nose, mouth, lungs, or 

 conjunctivas should be received in old rags or paper napkins 

 and burnt. Tubercular patients should be instructed to use a 



FIG. 19. 



Pasteboard boxes for receiving sputa of tubercular patients. 



spit-cup, which is disinfected easily by boiling or by the 

 addition of chemicals. A small earthenware vessel or the 

 pasteboard box (Fig. 19) recommended by nearly all boards 

 of health are very practical. These boxes are placed in iron 

 frames and are removed once a day and burnt. They are 

 so inexpensive as to be within the reach of everybody. The 



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