DISINFECTING LINEN AND CLOTHING. 



297 



A simple disinfecting powder may be prepared by 

 well mixing carbolic acid with starch, lycopodium, 

 or powdered charcoal, in the proportion of one part of 

 the acid to twenty or thirty of the powder. Dr. San- 

 som recommends that the carbolic acid should be dis- 

 solved in about the same quantity of spirit before 

 being mixed with the powder. 



Chloride of aluminium under the name of chloralum 

 has been recently introduced by Mr. Gamgee as a new 

 disinfectant. It has great advantage over chloride of 

 zinc and carbolic acid in not being poisonous, and the 

 smell is not unpleasant. This substance is obtained 

 by the double decomposition which occurs when solu- 

 tions of sulphate of alumina and chloride of calcium 

 are mixed together. By heating cloralum hydrochlo- 

 ric acid is expelled and alumina remains. 



To Disinfect Bed and Body Linen. A large tub 

 should be always kept ready with a disinfecting solu- 

 tion, which will not rot or destroy, in which the soiled 

 linen may be at once placed. A tablespoonful of 

 Condy's fluid, chloride of lime, or Calvert's disin- 

 fecting powder, may be mixed with a large pailful of 

 water. After remaining in this fluid for an hour or 

 two, the linen, &c., may be transferred to boiling 

 water, and should be boileol before it is washed. 



Clothing may be disinfected by being suspended, in 

 a room into which the vapour of carbolic acid is per- 

 mitted to diffuse, or by being placed in a close 

 shutting box with bags of carbolic acid powder 



