DEODORIZERS. 83 



Hair, plaster of Paris, sand, and fine particles generally must 

 not be thrown in the sink. 



The sink should be thoroughly emptied and washed at night. 

 A convenient instrument for scraping out the sink, or cleaning a 

 table or tray, is a piece of heavy rubber moulding, provided with a 

 handle. 



198. Deodorizers. Most of the unpleasant smells which 

 would otherwise attend work in practical anatomy may be avoided 

 by preserving the material in alcohol, by removing the intestines 

 within twenty-four hours after death, and by the observance of 

 other due precautions for cleanliness. But maceration is necessarily 

 offensive, and sometimes valuable specimens are more or less de- 

 composed before their reception ; it is therefore necessary in some 

 cases to employ deodorizers. 



Animal Charcoal, This effective deodorizer may be sprinkled 

 over the surface of offensive specimens, and is especially service- 

 able when such have to be transported. Its use in the improve- 

 ment of old alcohol is described in Ch. III. 



Alcohol. If the specimen is of moderate size, and is to be pre- 

 served as a whole or in great part, the putrefaction may be checked 

 by immersion in strong alcohol, from 75 to 95 per cent. The alcohol 

 may be poured over the specimen, or the latter may be immersed 

 in it, or covered by cloths saturated with it. In either case, the 

 alcohol will become offensive, and must be deodorized by filtration 

 before mixing with other alcohol or use upon other specimens. The 

 stronger the alcohol, the more decided is its action, but its clearness 

 is unessential. 



Potassium Permanganas. This is an excellent deodorizer. A 

 saturated solution should be kept at hand, and a few cc. poured 

 I into the waste pail at night, and into any other malodorous jar or 

 vessel. It stains the skin temporarily. 



Sulphate of Iron Copperas. This cheap deodorizer may be 

 used in place of the more efficacious but more expensive perman- 

 ganate of potash. The coarsely powdered crystals, or a saturated 

 solution, may be placed in the sink, pail, or pit. 



A solution of Chloride of Lead is recommended in The Medical Record, August 20, 1881, 

 p. 232. 



199. Discharges from the Cat. The following precautions 

 are always desirable, and should never be neglected in demonstra- 

 tions or experiments upon cats before a class : 



