DISINFECTION OF ROOMS AND HOUSES 61 



carbolic or milk of lime solution. If caught in hand- 

 kerchiefs they should be burned. The hands must be 

 washed in a disinfectant after catching sputum in a 

 handkerchief. 



Water-closets and Sinks. They should not receive 

 infective materials until these shall have been thor- 

 oughly disinfected. To disinfect sinks and water- 

 closets, chlorinated lime, cresols, and carbolic acid are 

 the best. 



Disinfection of Rooms and Houses. The disinfection 

 of rooms and their contents, while not necessarily the 

 nurse's duty, deserves some mention. In case of 

 infectious disease, physical cleaning must be left until 

 after chemical disinfection shall have been done. It is 

 then carried out on the ordinary plan of house-cleaning. 

 The practical methods of house-disinfection today have 

 narrowed down to formaldehyde. There are many 

 forms of apparatus and several methods of producing 

 this gas, but whatever the procedure, certain conditions 

 must be observed. The temperature of the air in the 

 room must not be less than 100 F., and there should 

 be a high percentage of moisture. The most common 

 method now used for the production of formaldehyde 

 gas is the mixture of 1 pint of commercial formalin 

 and 10 ounces of small crystals of potassium perman- 

 ganate in an open vessel for each 1000 cubic feet of 

 air space. These are usually mixed in the centre of the 

 room in a tall metal case of some sort, surrounded 

 by water, which serves the purpose of catching any 

 of the mixture which bubbles over or extinguishing 

 fire which sometimes occurs spontaneously. The 

 cracks of doors and windows are always sealed by 



