BACTERIOLOGY IN A NUTSHELL. 
Thorough 
Cleansing 
Required. 
Watch Your 
Scalpels. 
Cover 
Instruments 
Quickly. 
IV. —Chloride of lime paste was next w'ell 
rubbed into hands and nails, and well rinsed off 
in a soda carbonate solution. 
V. —Soaking of hands two to three (2 to 3) 
minutes in a bichloride of mercury solution 
1-4000, followed by hot sterile water. 
During operation Dr. Thomas used frequently 
for his hands a bichloride of mercury solution 
1-4000, followed by sterile water as a precaution¬ 
ary measure. 
To Disinfect Surgeons' Scalpels and In¬ 
struments :—First, cleanse instruments and 
scalpels thoroughly, paying particular attention 
to all crevices and hollow parts. Wrap the blades 
of the scalpels in cotton and place in a separate 
tray above the tray in which you place the other 
instruments, as scalpels must only be boiled two 
minutes, to prevent dulling their edges. Place 
both trays in the sterilizer in which water is 
boiling (the water should contain a small quan¬ 
tity—2%—of carbonate of soda). Boil all instru¬ 
ments except scalpels or bistouries twenty min¬ 
utes. Remove from the sterilizer and place 
immediately in a five per cent (5%) solution of 
carbolic acid, covering the receptacle with a ster¬ 
ile towel, unless the surgeon prefers to use his 
instruments dry, which many do; in this case they 
are placed in a sterile receptacle and covered as 
quickly as possible. The same process of cleans¬ 
ing and .sterilizing should be adopted after an op¬ 
eration ; they must be wiped dry with a sterile in¬ 
strument cloth before returning to the instru¬ 
ment closet. 
The method of sterilizing instruments adopted 
by some hospitals is to wrap the instruments in 
78 
