TREATMENT OF INFECTED ARTICLES 271 



Clothing and Bedding. Any articles of clothing that 

 come in contact with a patient, any towels or cloths 

 used in bathing him, are very likely to be mediums for 

 the distribution of disease. If it is a skin disease, the 

 clothing is sure to become infected. If the disease bac- 

 teria are eliminated through the sputum or the excre- 

 ment, it is almost inevitable that the clothing, especially 

 the bedding, will be contaminated with infectious material. 

 In all skin diseases, as well as in cases of typhoid, diph- 

 theria, tuberculosis, and indeed most contagious diseases, 

 clothing and bedding are sources of infection and must 

 be guarded carefully. The clothing and bedding should 

 not be sent to the general laundry but washed separately 

 and thoroughly boiled. Nothing should be worn in the 

 sick room by nurse or patient that cannot be washed, 

 and all unwashable fabrics, curtains, carpets, etc., should 

 be removed from the room where there is a contagious 

 disease. 



Eating Utensils, etc. The eating utensils used by a 

 patient, or indeed anything that he handles or uses dur- 

 ing his sickness, may be very easily contaminated with 

 the infectious material. It is perfectly evident that a 

 diphtheria patient who has the bacilli in his mouth will 

 contaminate the spoons, knives, and forks which he uses 

 with the bacteria that are producing the trouble in his 

 throat. The same thing would be true, though perhaps 

 to a less extent, of all contagious diseases, for a patient 

 cannot handle anything without danger of thus infecting 

 it. Consequently all utensils from the sick room and 

 all articles handled by the patient must be looked upon 

 as means of distributing the disease. The practice of 



