COMMON COMMUNICABLE DISEASES. 



filtering and boiling the water used for drink- q*'''^^ 

 ing and in preparing food, especially during Water, 

 epidemics. We cook our foodstuffs to make 

 them safe, and use sterile water to cleanse fruits 

 and vegetables which come to the table un- 

 cooked. We keep milk* and meats, unless 

 already contaminated when purchased, un- 

 harmed by placing them on ice. An epidemic jj^g Butler 

 of t)T)hoid fever occurred in Butler, Pennsyl- Epidemic, 

 vania, in 1903, the horrors of which are still 

 fresh in our memories. The death rate was 

 enormous. Many nurses lost their lives. An 

 infected water supply was the cause. 



Great care is necessary on the part of the 

 nurse who attends typhoid fever patients to '^°^ ^ ^™^' 

 guard all sources of infection under her im- 

 mediate control. Separate dishes must be used 

 for such patients, and these must be kept iso- 

 lated and cleansed by themselves. They must 

 be disinfected each time after using by pouring 

 over them boiling water, and they must be 

 boiled for at least ten minutes once daily, also. 

 Stools and urine and vomited matter must be 

 thoroughly disinfected before they are emptied. 

 Use a sufficient quantity of good disinfectant 

 solution, boiling water, milk of lime, carbolic 

 acid, etc. (See Chapter VII for disinfectants). 



*It is now considered much the safer plan to use 

 pasteurized milk for all purposes. The difference in 

 price between this and the raw product is very small. 



73 



