H 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XII. No. 2i 



METHODS OF DISINFECTION. 



At the request of the State Board of Health of Louisiana, that a 

 test be made of the efficiency of the modes of disinfection em- 

 ployed by that board, Dr. Hamilton, surgeon-general of the Marine 

 Hospital Service, detailed Assistant Surgeon J. J. Kinyown, last 

 •spring, to make the investigation. Dr. Kinyown's full report is 

 published in the JVeekfy Abs/>-aci for June 29, and is so interesting 

 ■■and important that copious extracts from it are given below. 



After describing the quarantine station and hospital below New 

 'Orleans, at which he arrived May 6, Dr. Kinyown makes full quo- 

 tations frotn the brochure of Dr. Joseph Holt, ex-president of the 

 Louisiana Board of Health, entitled 'The Quarantine System of 

 Louisiana: Methods of Disinfection Practised,' to show the man- 

 ner in which it is claimed that the germs of disease are destroyed 

 in the baggage of passengers and crew of vessels, the cabin, deck, 

 hold, and cargo. It is unnecessary even to make an abstract of 

 these passages, since the modes of disinfection used are sufficiently 

 indicated by Dr. Kinyown's own remarks and the reports of the ex- 

 periments he conducted. It is sufficient to say that three methods 

 of disinfection are described, — that by the appHcation of bichloride 

 of mercury, fumigation with sulphurous oxide, and by applications 

 of dry and moist heat. 



"Testing the efficacy of the methods practised and materials 

 used in the disinfection of ships, cargo, and baggage," etc., says 

 Dr. Kinyown, "was with special reference to the germicidal powers 

 for which it is claimed. 



" Accordingly, before leaving New York, a large nuinber of cul- 

 tivation-tubes were prepared, containing blood-serum, peptone gel- 

 atine, agar- agar, and rags. A large number of these were inocu- 

 lated from pure cultivations of the micro-organisms here men- 

 tioned ; viz., spirillum cholerae Asiaticae, spirillum Finkler-Prior. 

 bacillus anthracis, bacillus typhi abdominalis, bacillus coli commu- 

 nis (Hueppe), bacillus murissepticus, bacillus pneumonias (Fried- 

 lander), bacterium of yellow-fever (Finlay), staphylococcus pyo- 

 genes albus, staphylococcus pyogenes aureus, streptococcus erysip- 

 elatus. 



" Several of the series of above-named micro-organisms were ob- 

 tained of Dr. T. M. Prudden ; also one specimen of the micro-or- 

 ganism claimed to be the cause of yellow-fever, by Dr. Finlay of 

 Havana, Cuba ; another of the same organism was furnished by 

 Dr. S. T. Armstrong, who had only a few days prior to my depart- 

 ure received it from Dr. Finlay. 



" Whether the organism referred to is the cause of yellow-fever, 

 we leave for others to conftrtn or disprove. 



" In carrying out the following series of experiments, it was in- 

 tended to show whether the process of disinfection applied to such 

 vessels was sufficient to destroy the growth of these micro-organ- 

 isms ; and in but few instances was the process varied or the time 

 lengthened from that which is practised from opening of the quar- 

 antine season to June i, when the time is lengthened to five days. 

 It was also for the purpose of deciding whether the time imposed 

 on vessels prior to June I was sufficient for the prevention of epi- 

 demic disease. 



" In carrying out these experiments, several classes were con- 

 ducted at the same time, and, to have them correspond with the 

 description of the machinery, etc., the same order will be followed. 



" Since the opening of the season, vessels engaged in the fruit- 

 trade, and plying between ports subject to quarantine, are not sub- 

 jected to the same treatment as others. Should they have any 

 passengers aboard who have with them any baggage or articles of 

 clothing save what they wear, they are compelled to stop at the 

 upper station, where the baggage of passengers, crew, ship's linen, 

 etc., are subjected to the steaming process, while the cabin and 

 deck are washed down with bichloride solution. 



" If no baggage is aboard, they are given pratique to the city, 

 where the cargo is discharged, and vessel cleansed by washing the 

 deck and burning sulphur in the hold. The quantity of sulphur 

 used was not learned. 



" Whenever practicable, all the surfaces inside the hold of the 

 vessel and between-decks are wetted by a simple f-inch hose with 

 nozzle, the rose being dispensed with, as it is claimed that there 

 can be a more thorough wetting accomplished than by its use. 



This is invariably done before the vessel is treated to sulphur di- 

 oxide, in order to delay it as little as possible. 



" The flat surfaces of the decks are thoroughly washed with a 

 rose sprinkler, but around among the corners, hatches, or per- 

 chance hogsheads of sugar that are sometimes on deck, the process 

 is defective, because a great many places are not reached. The 

 same can be said of the disinfection of the cabin, lockers, etc.: only 

 a partial disinfection is accomplished ; for, to wet all surfaces, with 

 the present arrangements it would be necessary to almost sub- 

 merge them with the solution. The carpets, rugs, rubber and 

 leather goods, trunks, and valises are sprinkled with the same bi- 

 chloride solution. 



"Several experiments were made upon the goods, clothing, and 

 surfaces thus treated ; and it was found that the solution did not 

 cover all the surface, for portions of carpets, scrapings from floor 

 and under side of the forecastle, deck, etc., when placed upon ster- 

 ilized nutrient media, showed evidences of germ-development. No 

 apparent difference could be noticed between portions removed 

 from the floor of the forecastle after being saturated for one 

 hour with the bichloride, and other portions of the same that had 

 not been reached by the solution. The last can be explained by 

 the fact that the forecastle was in an extremely filthy condition, and, 

 there being such an abundance of organic matter, the bichloride 

 was rendered inert. 



" For the general application of this solution to the ship, espe- 

 cially to cabin, carpets, etc., we suggested that a spraying appara- 

 tus be substituted, made by leading a rubber hose from the boiler 

 of the tug, and connecting it with the supply-pipe of the bichloride 

 solution in such a manner as to make a ' Richardson's spray-pro- 

 ducer ' on a large scale, so that by its use all surfaces, cracks, etc., 

 can be thoroughly and evenly wetted. 



" Former experience teaches that placing dirty and greasy cloth- 

 ing in the heating-chamber is not a safe procedure with the present 

 apparatus, for to them have been traced the cause of fires breaking 

 out during the steaming process. They are now left on deck and 

 sprinkled with bichloride of mercury, in the following manner : 

 One attendant stands ready with hose in hand, while another places 

 the clothing to be thoroughly wetted down on the deck, turning 

 them over from time to time, while the other plays a stream of bi- 

 chloride upon them. 



" The car upon which the clothing, bedding, goods, etc., is placed 

 for the purpose of transporting them to the steam-heating chamber 

 is not disinfected before the goods are placed upon it to be taken 

 back to the ship." 



Seven tables are given for the purpose of showing the variations 

 of temperature obtained in the heating-chamber, and Dr. Kinyown 

 then proceeds to give detailed reports of the experiments he made. 

 The first series was for testing the applications of dry and moist 

 heat. He says : — 



" I was informed by Dr. Aby that his instructions from the 

 board of health were to the effect that clothing, bedding, etc., after 

 being placed within the chamber, should be raised to a temperature 

 of 85" C, after which the steam should be turned on, and kept for 

 twenty minutes after the thermometer indicates 100" C. This 

 manner renders fire less imminent. The tiine of exposure of mi- 

 cro-organisms to the heating process was not varied from the pre- 

 scribed rules, save in two instances. 



" Cultivations of micro-organisms on various substances were 

 placed, in each of the following experiments, in positions where the 

 minimum heat was to be expected. 



" Experiment No. i. — Cultivation-tubes of peptone agar-agar 

 inoculated with spirillum cholerae Asiatica;, bacillus anthracis, ba- 

 cillus typhi abdominalis, bacillus coli communis, bacterium of yel- 

 low-fever (?), were placed in a wire basket and hung in the com- 

 partment most distant from the boiler, and upon which but little 

 clothing was hung. In sixteen minutes the temperature (dry heat) 

 reached 79.4°, when steam was turned on and kept twenty min- 

 utes, cultivations removed, and inoculations made therefrom, the 

 temperature being ascertained by placing a self-registering ther- 

 mometer upon the surface of agar-agar within the cultivation- 

 tubes. Repeated examinations show all growths to have been 

 killed. 



"Experiment No. 2. — Cultivations of spirillum cholera Asi- 



