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 technique used by the physician in 

 procuring specimens, and she should know the more 

 important parts of such technique. 



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 con- 

 nection 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. 



