BACTERIOLOGY IN A NUTSHELL. 



to completely saturate the mass. Cover the 

 vessel and allow it to stand for an hour before 

 disposing of its contents. Thoroughly cleanse 

 and disinfect the vessel and its cover each time 

 after using and as a matter of precaution keep 

 a small quantity of a disinfectant solution in 

 all vessels preparatory to using again. If you 

 are using carbolic acid for this purpose, be very 

 sure to thoroughly wrash it out before giving 

 the vessel to your patient. Severe burns have 

 been caused by failure to perform this most 

 important duty. All such vessels should be 

 boiled once a week, at least. Use a separate 

 thermometer for typhoid fever patients and also 

 separate bed-pans, urinals, syringes and rectal 

 tubes. Keep the thermometer in a bichloride 

 solution, I - 1 ,000, renewed daily. Be very partic- 

 ular to cleanse the rectal tubes and syringes and 

 boil them every day. Bed-pans and urinals 

 should be boiled in a soda solution at least 

 once a week. Never turn syringe nozzles 

 inside of syringes after using. This is a com- 

 mon error. Infected fecal matter is carried by 

 the nozzle to the inside of the syringe, — where 

 it is difficult to reach. Remove the nozzles; 

 scrub well with soap and hot w^ater before boil- 

 ing. They should be kept in a carbolic acid solu- 

 tion, 1-40, with the rectal tubes. This solution 

 must also be prepared anew once in twenty-four 

 hours. See that bed and body linen and towels 

 74 



