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BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMINATION 



Collection of Blood for Widal Test. In preparing for a Widal 

 blood test (see Typhoid Fever) the finger or ear lobe is 

 cleansed with soap and water and alcohol. It is then pricked 

 with a needle and the blood collected on unglazed paper, 

 glass slides, or in glass tubes. For direct examination of the 

 blood the procedure with the patient is the same. 



Technic of Punctures. Perhaps the most important bac- 

 teriological technic with which the nurse has an important 

 duty is the puncturing of cavities such as drawing fluid 

 from a chest or knee, the cerebrospinal fluid from the spinal 

 canal, or the taking of blood from a vein. For all these the 



FIG. 24. Forms of hypodermic syringe: A, Koch's syringe; B, syringe of 

 Strohschein; C, Overlack's form. 



skin over the site of operation is cleansed precisely as for a 

 major operation. It is the practice of the author for vein 

 puncture, in making a blood culture, to have the arm at the 

 bend of the elbow inside (sometimes the leg is used) scrubbed 

 with soap and water, using a very soft brush, washed with 

 sterile water, and either painted with 10 per cent, iodin 

 alcohol or a wet dressing of 1 per cent, formaldehyde applied; 

 if the puncture is not done for some time, fresh iodin solution 

 is used when everything is ready. These two methods have 

 been found very successful in destroying the bacteria always 

 present in the deeper layers of the epidermis. They are 



