15 
Experiments to determine its value as a disinfectant for soiled linen — Time of exjoosure to 
disinfectant twenty io twenty-four hours. 
Material. 
1 per cent solution. 
1 : 10,000 solution. 
Cloths from post-mortem room 
Sterile 
Not sterile. 
Cloths soaked in B. typhosus culture 
do 
Sterile. 
Cloths soaked in culture of Spirillum cholerse 
. . . .do 
Do. 
Cloths soaked in culture of Staphylococcus pyogenes aureus. . 
do 
Do. 
Marcel-Arsine Mariot (31) states that proportions of formaldehyde 
1:1,000 to 1:50,000 prevented putrefaction of unsterilized bouillon up 
to fortv-eight hours, when observations ceased. The tubes were kept 
at 37'' C. 
G. Bardet (35) found that formalin in the proportion of 1:30,000 
sensibly retarded the putrefaction of bouillon kept in the incubator at 
30° C. and in 1:25,000 the bouillon remained unaltered at the end of 
four days; 1:12,000 preserved the bouillon from putrefaction for 
several weeks.* 
In sewage containing 1,800,000 organisms per c. c. all of the organ- 
isms are destro}"ed by formalin (proportions not stated). 
Small quantities suffice to sterilize flasks containing anthrax and 
organisms from the saliva. 
Ehrlich (36) made the following observations: 
100 c. c. of milk -j- formaldehyde. 
0.02 c. c. 
0.004 c. c. 
0.002 c. c. 
1 
1 0.0 c. c. 
Taste 
Distinctly formol. 
do 
Very little formol. 
. . do 
Scarcely percepti- 
ble. 
do 
Good. 
0. 
0. 
Coagulated; .sour. 
Lumpy and sour. 
Smell 
Smell after 24 hours. . . 
Status after — 
24 hours 
0 
0 
0 
Fresh 
Begins to coagu- 
late. 
Coagulated; sour. 
Begins to coagu- 
late. 
Coagulated: sour. 
48 hours 
Begins to coagu- 
late. 
Amount of formalin in 100 t. c. of milk. 
i 
0.4 c.c. 
0.2 c. c. 
0.12 c.c. 
0.08 c.c. 
0.04 c. c. 
0.0 c. c. 
Taste ' 
Bad, strong 
Bad, strong 
Bad itching 
Bad itching 
Bad itching 
Good. 
> itching in 
itching in 
in throat. 
in throat. 
in throat. 
throat. 
throat. 
Smell . 
Strong for- 
mol. 
Strong for- 
mol. 
Strong for- 
mol. 
Form alde- 
, Formol 
0. 
hyde. • 
Smell, after ' 
24 hours, i 
Weak for- 
mol. 
Weak for- 
0 
0 
0 
0. 
mol. 
Status af- 
ter— 
24 hours . 
Not coagu- 
Not coagu- 
Not coagu- 
Not coagu- 
Not coagu- 
Begins to 
lated. 
lated. 
lated. 
lated. 
lated. 
coagulate. 
48 hours . 
do 
(io 
do 
do 
do 
Coagulated 
and sour. 
96 hours 
do 
do 
. .do 
do 
do 
Lumpy and 
sour. 
120 hours 
do 
do - 
do 
do 
do 
Do. 
144 hours 
do 
. . .do 
do 
do 
Begins to co- 
1 agulate. 
Do. 
168 hours. 
do 
do 
do 
Begins to co- 
agulate. 
Coagulated. 
Ill smelling, 
sour, and 
lumpy. 
192 hours. 
Begins to 
Begins to co- 
Begins to co- 
Coagulated. 
1 Coagulated 
Do.’ 
coagulate. 
agulate. 
agulate. 
and sour. 
