AFTER SPECIAL DISEASES 449 



and is then, where necessary, stripped from the walls. The bare 

 walls, the ceiling, and floor are washed over several times with 

 the solution, and any articles of furniture which will admit of such 

 treatment are similarly washed over. Articles of clothing, bedding, 

 etc., are taken away to be disinfected in the steam disinfector. 



In houses in Manchester which are in a clean condition, and 

 where it is certain that there has been no direct soiling of the walls 

 or floors with sputum, and where the infectious dust, if present, has 

 come from soiled pocket-handkerchiefs or articles of clothing, the 

 chlorinated lime method of disinfection is not considered necessary, 

 and the method of disinfection recommended by Esmarch is 

 practised : — The wall-paper is rubbed well with crumb of bread, or 

 with dough kneaded to a proper consistency. Moors, painted walls, 

 and woodwork are washed with soap and water, and ceilings are 

 limewashed. In addition, bedding, articles of clothing, etc., are 

 either disinfected by steam or washed with boiling water. 



This method of disinfection, when properly carried out, was 

 found to remove practically all dust from a room, so that little or 

 no dust can be obtained by subsequently rubbing the wall-paper 

 with a sterilised sponge. The method, however, requires a certain 

 amount of care to make sure that all dust is removed from the walls, 

 especially from the angles and corners, and to properly rub down a 

 fair-sized room takes a considerable time. It is useless in cases 

 where the paper is directly soiled with sputum. Owing to the 

 mucus which it contains, the dried sputum sticks tenaciously to the 

 paper, in spite of repeated rubbing with dough. 



This method of rubbing the walls with dough is an excellent 

 way of periodically cleaning a room, so as to keep it free from 

 dust. 



After Small-Pox. — It is necessary that disinfection be very 

 thoroughly done. As a rule, the walls of the room used by the 

 patient must be " stripped and cleansed." Fumigation with formic 

 aldehyde and vigorous spraying of walls are usual. All bedding and 

 wearing apparel must be steamed, and if very unclean, burnt. 



After Scarlet Fever. — The room used by the patient should be 

 disinfected in the ordinary way. Infection may be conveyed by 

 clothing, carpets, table-cloths, bell-ropes, etc., and such things must 

 receive attention. Infection is also probably conveyed by the peeling 

 skin, and even more so by the throat secretions. All discharges 

 from the mouth and nose, and also those from the ear when affected, 

 should be received on rags or thin paper handkerchiefs and burned. 

 The seat of infection may also be directly attacked by the use of 

 disinfectant gargles, of which chlorine water is one of the best. 

 During desquamation the skin may be oiled, and occasionally washed 

 in warm carbolic solution (1-40). 



2 F 



