BACTERIOLOGY IN A NUTSHELL. 



Face Masks 



and 



Rubber Gloves. 



Thorough 

 Cleansing 

 Required. 



Watch Your 

 Scalpels. 



Cover 



Instruments 



Quickly. 



dressings during surgical operations, are now- 

 a-days using face masks as well as rubber 

 gloves. Those who as yet have not adopted the 

 face mask tie several folds of gauze over the 

 mouth ; the saliva, even of the most healthy, has 

 been proven to contain pathogenic bacteria. A 

 slight cough may eject the saliva upon the field 

 of operation with disastrous consequences to 

 the patient. 



To Disinfect Surgeons' Scalpels and 

 Instruments : — First, cleanse instruments and 

 scalpels thoroughly, paying particular atten- 

 tion to all crevices and hollow parts. Wrap 

 the blades of the scalpels in cotton and place in 

 a separate tray above the tray in which you 

 place the other instruments, as scalpels must 

 only be boiled two minutes, to prevent dulling 

 their edges. Place both trays in the sterilizer 

 in which water is boiling (the water should 

 contain a small quantity — 2% — of carbonate 

 of soda). Boil all instruments except scalpels 

 or bistouries twenty minutes. Remove from 

 the sterilizer and place immediately in a five per 

 cent (S%) solution of carbolic acid, covering 

 the receptacle with a sterile towel, unless the 

 surgeon prefers to use his instruments dry, 

 which many do; in this case they are kept in 

 the sterile receptacle in which they are boiled 

 and covered as quickly as possible. The same 

 process of cleansing and sterilizing should be 



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