26 
BACTERIOLOGY. 
Disin¬ 
fection of 
excre¬ 
tions 
Sputum 
quently, articles to be disinfected should be hung up 
or so arranged as to allow the free circulation of the 
gas about them. It is the most efficient disinfectant 
known when properly used, and is also a deodorant. 
It has no harmful action on clothing or other house¬ 
hold goods. The vapor is very irritating to the eyes 
and upper air-passages. Although the gas is very 
destructive to bacteria and their spores, it will not 
kill vermin. 
In disinfecting during or after illness of con¬ 
tagious or infectious nature, it is necessary to render 
all discharges, jexcreta, and so on, non-infectious and, 
at the conclusion of the illness, to render the apart¬ 
ment in which the patient has been sick safe for others 
to occupy. In practical disinfection the choice of the 
disinfectant should be governed by the source and 
character of the material to be disinfected, and by the 
expense, the ease, and the thoroughness with which 
the disinfectant may be applied. 
Sputum always contains a large proportion of 
mucus, in which the bacteria are imbedded. In order 
to destroy these bacteria, chemical agents of con¬ 
siderable penetrating power are required, and should 
be allowed to act for considerable periods of time. 
The two that best meet these requirements are for¬ 
malin, io per cent, solution, and carbolic acid in 5 
per cent, strength. A much safer way is to collect all 
sputum in paper sputum-cups or paper napkins and 
then burn them. This way has been in use a long 
time for the disposal of tuberculous sputum, but it is 
