PRACTICAL DISINFECTION 283 
water, provided a considerable volume is used, is also suffieient to 
disinfect soiled foniites. 
Bath Water.— The water in which patients suffering from intestinal 
infections have bathed should be disinfected before it is discharged 
into a drain. An ounce of chlorinated lime thoroughly mixed with 
the bath water will disinfect it within one hour. The sides of the bath- 
tub above the level of the water must be disinfected as well as the 
water itself. 
Skin and Hands.— Infection of the skin and hands, both of the 
patient and attendants, is frequently unavoidable in intestinal diseases. 
A vigorous application of a scrubbing brush and green soap and a 
thorough cleansing of the nails frequently suffices for the hands. An 
application of 2 to 3 per cent carbolic acid, or 1 to 1000 bichloride of 
mercury solution for several minutes will remove all danger of infection. 
Sterilization of the hands for surgical operations is still a subject 
of debate; there is little uniformity in the methods ad\'ocated by 
leading surgeons. Wearing sterilized rubber glo\'es during operations 
is a common practice. 
Wounds.— Experience gained in the World War has show^n that 
solutions which evolve nascent chlorine give preparations of high anti- 
septic value for tissue disinfection. Of these, three have come into 
common use, namely, Dakin's solution, which is a neutral hypochlorite 
solution, chloramine-T, and dichloramine-T. 
Dakin's solution, when properly prepared and used when not more 
than a week old, is practically non-irritating and possessed of very 
considerable germicidal power. To prepare: 
Fresh, chlorine-rich bleaching powder' 100 gm. 
Distilled water 1000 cc. 
Mix thoroughly, allow to stand and shake again. Add immediately 
to the following mixture: 
Sodium carbonate (anhydrous) 45 gm. 
Sodium bicarbonate 48 gm. 
Distilled water 1000 cc. 
Shake until solution is complete. 
Shake the mixture of the two preparations repeatedly until ecjuilibrium 
is reached ; filter. The filtrate is neutral to a bit of solid phenolphtha- 
lein. If too alkaline (red color with phenolphthalein) , bub})le CO2 
through the solution until the color just disappears. To use, dilute 
with twice the volume of distilled water. 
A study of the effects of solutions evolving nascent chlorine— as 
hypochlorites or those containing free hypochlorous acid — by Dakin,- 
has shown that organic substances containing the =NH group (as, 
1 Approximately 25 per cent available chlorine. See Cullen and Austin: Proc. Soc. 
Exper. Biol., December 19, 1917. 
2 British Med. Jour., 1915, ii. 319. Dakin and Dunham: Handbook of Antiseptics. 
