ANTISEPTICS AND ANTISEPSIS 233 



septic infection, such as general, sepsis, malignant endocarditis, 

 puerperal sepsis, and typhoid fever. 



Method of Examination. A drop of blood is spread on a 

 cover-glass and stained with the ordinary dyes; but in order 

 to eliminate the coloring-matter of the red corpuscles and bring 

 the stained bacteria more prominently into view, Gunther 

 recommends that the blood, after drying and fixing, should be 

 rinsed in a dilute solution of acetic acid (i to 5 per cent.). 

 The hemoglobin is thereby extracted, and the corpuscles appear 

 then only as faint outlines. 



Instead of "fixing" by heat, Canon employs alcohol for five 

 minutes, especially in staining for influenza bacilli, which have 

 been detected in the blood. 



This method, however, requires the presence of enormous 

 numbers of bacteria in order to succeed, and the plan com- 

 monly employed consists in making " blood cultures." As 

 large a quantity of blood as possible never less than 10 c.c. 

 is taken from a superficial vein, the median basilic, for example, 

 by means of a sterile antitoxin syringe, a small incision being 

 made through the skin over the vein in order to avoid skin 

 infection. The blood so obtained is immediately transferred to 

 culture-tubes, which are then studied in the customary manner. 



CHAPTER XXV 

 ANTISEPTICS AND ANTISEPSIS 



A germicide is an agent capable of destroying bacterial life. 



An antiseptic solution or substance is one that can inhibit 

 or prevent the growth of bacteria without necessarily destroying 

 them. 



A disinfectant must be germicidal. 



A deodorant may have no germicidal or antiseptic properties. 



