COMMON COMMUNICABLE DISEASES. 
not kept clean; (2), because milk pails, cans or 
Other vessels in which milk is kept are not thor- Contaminated 
oughly cleansed and boiling water poured into Milk, 
and over them before using; (3), because the 
dairy is not kept pure or persons handling the 
milk are not careful; (4), because water, which 
some dishonest dealers are said to put in the 
milk they sell, may contain the germs. Epi¬ 
demics of the disease are common and are often 
traced to a contaminated water supply. Hence 
the necessity for filtering and boiling the water Sterile 
used for drinking and in preparing foocT, espe- ^^ r ing 
dally during epidemics. We cook our foodstuffs 
to make them safe, and use sterile water to 
cleanse fruits and vegetables which come to the 
table uncooked. We keep milk and meats, unless 
already contaminated when purchased, un¬ 
harmed by placing them on ice. An epidemic The Butler 
of typhoid fever occurred in Butler, Pennsyl- Epidemic, 
vania, in 1903, the horrors of which are still 
fresh in our memories. The death rate was 
enormous. Many nurses lost their lives. A11 
infected water supply was the cause. 
Great care is necessary on the part of the Prophylaxis 
nurse who attends typhoid fever patients to guard 
all sources of infection under her immediate con¬ 
trol. Stools and urine and vomited matter must 
be thoroughly disinfected before they are emp¬ 
tied. Use a sufficient quantity of good disin¬ 
fectant solution, boiling water, milk of lime, car¬ 
bolic acid, etc., (See Chapter VII for disinfect¬ 
ants), to completely saturate the mass. Cover 
the vessel and allow it to stand for an hour be¬ 
fore disposing of its contents. Thoroughly 
cleanse and disinfect the vessel and its cover 
45 
