MEANS FOR KILLING BACTERIA. 671 



tion ; for example, the addition of sublimate to tubercular 

 sputum has proved to be quite insufficient for disinfec- 

 tion. Sublimate has been recommended by Konig* for 

 the disinfection of dwelling-rooms in the form of vapour, 

 obtained by heating about 60 grammes of sublimate for 

 a room of about 60 cubic metre space. It has, however, 

 been shown by Liibbert,t Heraeus,j and Kreibohm 

 that it is only the bacteria which are superficially placed 

 that are reached and killed by the sublimate, while on 

 the other hand the very slightest covering of the objects 

 hinders disinfection. 



Carbolic acid is likewise a certain means of disinfec- Action of 

 tion when in strong solution, and when allowed to act carbohc acul - 

 for a considerable time ; 5 per cent, watery solutions 

 destroy resistant spores in a few days. Non-spore- 

 bearing bacteria are killed by 3 per cent, solutions in a 

 very short time (see the experiments by Gartner and 

 Schotte, mentioned above). Carbolic acid often acts 

 better than sublimate for the disinfection of albuminous 

 fluids, more especially of fresh tubercular sputum which 

 is disinfected with certainty in twenty-four hours by the 

 addition of an equal quantity of 5 per cent, carbolic acid. 



As regards the methods of disinfection which should 

 be employed in practice, see Part VII. 



* Centralblf. Chirurg., 1855, Nr. 12. 



f Miinchen drztl. Intelligenzbl, 1885, Nr. 49. 



I Zeitschr. f. Byg., vol. i., Part 2. Ibid. 



