DISINFECTANTS, ANTISEPTICS AND DEODOEANTS 719 



A discrimination between disinfectants and anti- 

 septics may be made in relation to their connec- 

 tion with the body. Those agents employed to 

 kill germs, in matter distinct from the living body, are 

 disinfectants ; while those agents applied on the surface, or 

 introduced within the body, may be classed as antiseptics, 

 since they can rarely be used in such strength as to kill all 

 micro-organisms without injuring or killing their host. 



DISINFECTANTS AND DISINFECTION. 



Air, sunlight, heat and water are naturally the best dis- 

 infectants. Air scatters and dilutes micro-organisms, making 

 them pathologically inactive. There is no more effective 

 way to disinfect a stable, in which animals are living, than 

 by free veatilation with pure air. It is well known that ani- 

 mals are less liable to contract infectious diseases in the 

 comparatively pure air of the country than in closely 

 crowded and ill-ventilated city buildings. Likewise, the 

 contagious diseases of children mostly occur in winter, when 

 they are herded together in schools and in poorly ventilated 

 dwellings. ' 



To attempt to disinfect the air surrounding a patient is 

 the height of absurdity. The generation of chlorine and- 

 sulphurous acid gases for this purpose, although recom- 

 mended in text books, is futile, and by irritating the respira- 

 tory mucous membrane, accomplishes more harm than good, 

 since a congested surface offers a more suitable field for 

 bacterial growth. . Air, on the other hand, may be a medium 

 of infection when contaminated with dust containing patho- 

 genic bacteria (B. tuberculosis). Sunlight is prejudicial 

 to the vitality of bacteria. Whereas, the bacilli of tubercu- 

 losis will live almost indefinitely in dark, damp places, they 

 quickly succumb to sunlight and dry air. Sunlight and pure 

 air are, then, imperative for both the immediate and pre- 

 ventive treatment of germ diseases. Heat is the most 



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