BIOLOGY APPLIED TO HEALTHFUL LIVING 559 



All excreta should be treated with strong chloride of lime 

 or other disinfectants sold by the druggists. 



No sweeping should be allowed in a sick-room. Dust 

 should be wiped up with a damp cloth which should after- 

 ward be washed out in boiling water with washing-powder. 



After recovery of the patient, fumigate (disinfect by fumes 

 or gas) the room with formaldehyde ( 256, /), leaving in the 

 room all furniture, pictures, matresses, books, etc., and spread 

 the articles, open the drawers, wardrobe, etc., so as to allow 

 free circulation of the gas. Do not remove rugs, curtains, 

 clothing or any 'article from the room until after thorough 

 disinfection. 



These precautions may seem extremely detailed, but 

 bacteriologists have shown that they are necessary in order 

 to safeguard against distribution of dangerous germs. It is 

 the duty of every citizen to aid in popularizing and putting 

 into practice knowledge by which some of the most dangerous 

 diseases may be made extremely rare in occurrence. 



490. Public Hygiene. Since a large number of people 

 are ignorant of scientific principles or have no regard for 

 the health of other people, it has become necessary to institute 

 public sanitary control of foods, water, sewage, quarantines, 

 etc., in all cities and to a certain extent in the country at 

 large. Thus the official representatives of the government are 

 charged with the duty of protecting citizens against disease 

 in cases where the individuals cannot exert control. For 

 example, a city board of health can force dealers to sell only 

 clean milk, but without such public control the individual 

 citizen must accept the impure milk which the dealer 

 offers for sale. Likewise, under public sanitary control, 

 meats and other foods can be inspected, and made to meet 

 the requirements of the law ; water can be obtained from the 

 purest possible sources; sewage systems can be arranged 

 to avoid danger from disease germs; streets and other 

 public places kept clean; quarantine of dangerous diseases 



