242 INOEaANIC AGENTS 



reliance should never be placed upon sulphur fum]*gati(m, 

 but premises should be treated as recommended in the 

 section on antiseptics and disinfectants (p. 693.) 



In employing sulphur as a disinfectant, animals must 

 be removed from the premises and communication with the 

 outer air should be excluded as far as possible. Three 

 pounds of roll or flowers of sulphur, mixed with 2 ounces 

 of alcohol, should be employed for every 1,000 cubic feet of 

 air space to be disinfected. The premises which are being 

 disinfected should be closed for six hours. Alcohol is 

 employed to ignite the sulphur and also to form steam by its 

 combustion. The latter unites with sulphurous anhydride 

 to make the more potent sulphurous acid. 



If steam can be introduced into the apartment, together 

 with sulphur fumes, the eflfect is vastly more efficient. The 

 sulphur and alcohol may be placed in an iron or earthen- 

 ware vessel, floating in a tub of water to avoid danger of 

 fire. The sulphur not infrequently fails to burn freely, and 

 combustion is secured more certainly by placing flowers of 

 sulphur with alcohol in an iron vessel which should rest 

 upon a stand in a large iron pot. A lighted alcohol lamp is 

 then put under the smaller iron vessel, containing the sul- 

 phur, and the lamp is ignited. The lamp insures complete 

 combustion of the sulphur and the outer iron pot prevents 

 the surrounding premises from catching fire. 



Sulphurous anhydride has been employed for its local 

 antiseptic and stimulant action, in inflammatory diseases of 

 the upper air passages in horses. For this purpose it is 

 burned in such quantities that the vapor is capable of being 

 inspired because largely diluted with air. With such dilu- 

 tion the antiseptic action is lost, and there is danger of 

 producing considerable irritation, and the procedure is of 

 doubtful value. The same treatment has been pursued in 

 verminous bronchitis of lambs and calves, caused by the 

 Strongylus filaria and S. micrurus. Local treatment, with 

 tracheal injection, is more efficient. 



