DISINFECTION OF INFECTED CARRIERS, ETC. 45 
IV. DISINFECTION OF INFECTED CARRIERS AND 
THE WOUND. 
We have seen in one of the above chapters that the infection 
of wounds is transmitted by certain substances coming in con- 
tact with the wound, namely, infection carriers. At the same 
time we did not consider those infectious diseases of domes- 
ticated animals which cause wound infection through the 
blood, as for instance, tuberculosis, glanders, anthrax, etc. As 
they do not give us cause for any surgical interference the main 
object in the antiseptic treatment of wounds is to make all 
the germs that stick to the infection carriers innocuous. The 
most important task for the surgeon must therefore be the dis- 
infection of all the infection carriers, which during treatment, 
necessarily come in contact with the wound. We will there- 
fore discuss the disinfection of these infection carriers in the 
same rotation as we have adhered to above. 
1. AIR. 
Infection through the air, according to our experience to- 
day, happens more infrequently than was formerly supposed, 
but in human surgery it is still recognized, and we also must 
not undervalue its importance, especially since in treatment of 
wounds, we are assigned to rooms where there is a. strongly 
agitated air, and therefore is rich in germs. Only at times, for 
instance, in the case of smaller animals or in hospitals, can 
we have conditions similar to those the human physicians find 
in their treatment in closed rooms. Owing to this difference 
of conditions, we can only in a few cases disinfect the air, 
namely, when we operate in closed rooms free from currents. 
LISTER attempted to disinfect the air in closed rooms by 
the spray, and for this purpose he sprayed carbolic solutions 
