APPENDIX 361 



Old pieces of muslin, etc., should be used instead of handkerchiefs to 

 receive the poisonous discharges from the nose, mouth, and throat. 

 These can be destroyed by fire, and thus prevent the danger of conveying 

 the disease to others. 



" Taking the breath " and kissing should be avoided by those in atten- 

 dance upon the case. 



The bottles of medicine and other reminders of illness should, as far 

 as convenient, be withdrawn from the view of the sick. 



Such as are to. be kept always at hand should be arranged in an 

 orderly way upon a tidily- covered bed-side table. The sight of a siphon 

 bottle of aerated water is agreeable to most patients ; that may be kept 

 in the room, but the vessels containing milk, drinking-water, etc., should 

 be kept elsewhere. 



DISINFECTION 



Filth fosters or produces certain diseases ; it should, therefore, be 

 removed as soon as possible. When it is difficult to remove it, dis- 

 infectants come into play, as they have the power to rob it of some of 

 its disease-breeding force. But let it be remembered that disinfection is not 

 cure ; it is not a substitute for cleanliness and pure air. The true cure is 

 the removal of filth ; and when our homes are concerned in some question 

 of drainage where the filth is out of our sight, it may be necessary to 

 consult and employ the plumber or some other artisan. 



In times gone by, it was the custom to mask bad smells by burning 

 pastilles, coffee, cascarilla, and the like. These are not now much used; 

 for most pei-sons have come to understand that the fumes thus created do 

 not remove, but simply overpower the evil odors. 



Chemistry has advanced to such a point that various pungent chemical 

 substances, formerly not well known, can be furnished at small cost, and 

 these substances have the power, in varying degrees, to check vile odors. 

 Carbolic acid, chloride of lime, and Labarraque's solution are among the 

 best known of these, but there are also certain of the salts of iron, and 

 zinc, and permanganate of potash that may be used. Sulphur is much 

 used for the fumigation of rooms that have been infected. 



Another cheap disinfectant is a solution of chloride of lead. It is in- 

 odorous, effective, and the cost is small. Take half a drachm of the 

 nitrate and dissolve it in a pint or more of boiling water. Dissolve two 

 drachms of common salt in a pail or bucket of water ; pour the two solu- 

 tions together and allow the sediment to sink. A cloth dipped in this 

 solution, and hung up in a room, will correct a bad odor promptly, or if 

 the solution be thrown down a drain, or upon foul-smelling refuse, it will 

 have the same effect. 



The room to be purified with sulphur should be made as tight as pos- 

 sible, so that no fumes can escape, either by window, door, or chimney. 



