DISINFECTION AND STERILIZATION. 169 
sick person, especially upholstered furniture, carpets, 
and curtains, should be removed from the room before 
placing in it the sick person. 
Agents for Cleansing and Disinfection. 
Too much emphasis cannot be placed upon the im- 
portance of cleanliness, both as regards the person and ~ 
the dwelling, in preserving health and protecting the 
body from all kinds of infectious disease. Sunlight 
and fresh air should be freely admitted through open 
windows, and personal cleanliness should be attained 
by frequently washing the hands and body. 
Cleanliness in dwellings, and in all places where men 
go, may, under ordinary circumstances, be well main- 
tained by the use of the two following solutions : 
1. Soapsuds Solution. For simple cleansing, or for 
cleansing after the methods of disinfection by chemicals 
described below, one ounce of common soda should be 
added to twelve quarts of hot soap (soft soap) and water. 
2. Strong Soda Solution. This, which is a stronger 
and more effective cleansing solution and also a feeble 
disinfectant, is made by dissolving one-half pound of 
common soda in three gallons of hot water. The solu- 
tion thus obtained should be applied by scrubbing with 
a hard brush. 
When it becomes necessary to arrest putrefaction or 
to prevent the spread of contagious diseases by surely 
killing the living germs which cause them, more powerful 
agents must be employed than those required for simple 
cleanliness, and these are commonly called disinfectants 
The following are some of the most reliable ones: 
3. Heat. Complete destruction by fire is an abso- 
lutely safe method of disposing of infected articles of 
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