,1 
D 
i 
rics and materials is a matter of common knowledge. Again, cotton or 
I linen fabrics are equally injured, unless the bleaching action is arrested 
i by some appropriate means. The piece of linen or cotton goods, esj^e- 
I cially if containing starch or size, exposed to the action of damp or 
j moist sulphur dioxide is so acted upon that unless washed immediately 
after the disinfecting process it will be found to have rotted or decayed 
j|| in such a manner that it can easily be shaken to pieces. 
I ! These are in the main the principal objections to the employment of 
sulphur dioxide as a germicidal agent and form distinctly one of its 
limitations. Therefore, let it be laid down as a general rule that, except 
I in the absence of better means, sulphur dioxide should not be employed 
j for the disinfection of fabrics or textiles, or, if so employed, the parties 
interested should be notified in advance that colored fabrics will prob- 
[ ably be changed in appearance, and uncolored ones, unless washed 
immediately after, may be expected to become useless within a com- 
j paratively short time. 
j But, on the other hand, the agent has most distinct advantages. In 
' the first place, the material for its production is accessible almost every- 
where. There is hardly a crossroads store in any part of the country 
where a reasonable quantity of sulirhur, either in the form of flowers 
I or in rolls or sticks under the name of brimstone, can not be obtained. 
I It is an easy matter, therefore, to close an apartment, and in a pot, pan, 
I or other receptacle to burn a quantity of sulphur, and thus render an 
I apartment safe from the danger of conveying infection to those who may 
( subsequently occupy it. Again, the agent is very cheap, and it requires 
only a comparatively small quantity to disinfect large spaces. Notably 
„ is this the case in the holds of ships and in railway freight cars or in 
!! other vehicles which are used in the ordinary dispatch of commercial 
intercourse. For this purpose the agent is most effective and fills an 
important place in our quarantine and epidemic measures. Whether 
or not all contagions are air borne is a matter which is yet involved in 
doubt, but it would seem for practical purposes that they may be so 
considered. Therefore, wherever infection in its broadest sense has pene- 
trated, conveyed by the surrounding atmosphere, there it is certain 
, that the disinfecting agent, sulphur dioxide, being gaseous in its nature, 
will penetrate. 
I From a quarantine and epidemic standpoint it is most fortunate, too, 
that all the quarantinable or epidemic diseases common to man are 
? caused by simple organisms — that is to say, those which are not of the 
spore-bearing variety. It will subsequently be shown that as against 
this class of organisms sulphur is thoroughly eflicient when accompanied 
by moisture and when it can be brought into contact with them. The 
question of spores introduces another factor into the question, but, as 
has been said, fortunately the question of spores does not enter into 
quarantine measures or epidemic practices. 
The quarantinable diseases, as defined by the regulations of the Treas- 
