CHAPTER VII. 



PREPARATIONS FOR AND PROCURING OF 



SPECIMENS FOR BACTERIOLOGICAL 



EXAMINATION. 



WHILE it may not be the duty of the nurse to obtain all 

 specimens for bacteriological purposes, she is often requested 

 to obtain the more common things, and it -behooves her to 

 know how this should be done. 



The nurse is very commonly expected to prepare the 

 patient for technic used by the physician in procuring speci- 

 mens and should know the more important parts of such 

 technic. 



Collection of Pus. For the taking of cultures of pus from 

 abscesses or from infected surfaces of ulcers or sinuses, an 

 applicator, usually of wood, wound with cotton and sterilized 

 within a glass test-tube, is used. The nurse most commonly 

 sees this in connection with throat cultures. When this 

 applicator is passed over the diseased surface, some of the 

 bacteria present adhere to the cotton. The adhering particles 

 are transferred by the physician to some suitable food upon 

 which the germs will grow. In preparing an exposed infected 

 surface for culture-taking the nurse need have ready only 

 sterile water or a very weak (1 per cent.) boric acid or sterile 

 physiological salt solution. Anything stronger may destroy 

 the bacteria. 



Collection of Sputum. Sputum to be examined for the 

 tubercle bacillus should be received in a thoroughly cleansed 

 and dried wide-mouthed bottle. This is given to the patient 

 that he may expectorate directly into it. When the specimen 

 has been collected by the patient, the bottle, including the 



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