COLLECTION OF FECES 73 



directly into it. When the specimen has been collected 

 by the patient the bottle, including the inside of the 

 mouth, should be wiped off with a cloth moistened with 

 5 per cent, carbolic acid solution. When specimens 

 of sputum are intended for careful bacteriological 

 cultivation with the idea of finding out what the 

 causative bacteria in the case may be, the procedure 

 is different. In this case the bottle, again a wide- 

 mouthed one, must be plugged with raw cotton and 

 sterilized, preferably by dry heat. Someone should 

 supervise the collection of the specimen and see that 

 the patient spits a representative (instruction from 

 doctor) sample directly into the bottle, and does not 

 let it touch the outside of the neck. The part of the 

 cotton plug which extends beyond the mouth of the 

 bottle should be held by someone and the stopper part 

 not allowed to touch anything while out of the bottle. 

 After the plug is replaced, the outside of the bottle is 

 cleansed as for tuberculosis sputum. 



Collection of Urine. The collection of urine for 

 bacteriological purposes must be done by catheteri- 

 zation, using all possible surgical precautions as to 

 hands and instruments. The urine must be allowed 

 to fall from the end of the catheter directly into a 

 bottle or test-tube sterilized with a raw cotton plug. 

 This is best held by an assistant during catheterization, 

 so that it will not be contaminated. 



Collection of Feces. The best method of collecting 

 feces is to have them passed directly into a sterilized 

 Mason jar. This, however, is not always practicable, 

 and they may be received in a thoroughly cleansed bed- 

 pan or chamber, and transferred afterward to the Mason 



