PREFACE 
7 
prepare a textbook which represents, with additions, my 
syllabus of lectures delivered at the above-mentioned 
training schools, and which, while prepared for the 
nurses and written in a very simple language, would be 
fairly complete and would incorporate the latest facts 
of Bacteriology—such facts as are recognized to be 
safely out of the zone of polemics and controversies; 
where the work described does not, as yet, warrant being 
regarded as an established fact mention is made to that 
effect. 
There are several features to which I have paid special 
attention, and the book is, perhaps, original to some ex¬ 
tent from the standpoint of the nature of the subject 
matter included as well as its arrangement. 
We begin to realize that it is while studying bacteriol¬ 
ogy that the rationale and the principles of bacterial 
prophylaxis are first brought to the nurse’s attention, 
yet but very little information of this nature is usually 
given and but very little stress is laid on the connection 
between bacteriology and prophylaxis; it seemed to me 
that this would be a very appropriate place and a very 
opportune time to “drive home” the lessons, and for 
this reason, I have introduced in each chapter dealing 
with individual microorganisms, a section—“Mode of 
Infection, Disinfection and Prophylaxis”—as regards 
the disease caused by particular microorganisms, giv¬ 
ing explicit instructions as regards the patient and those 
who mingle with him, including the nurse, the room and 
its contents. 
With the present need for more and more nurses, 
both here and “over there,” a demand for nurses capa¬ 
ble of serving as laboratory assistants and technicians 
will be felt, and for this reason I have gone into the 
minute description of the simpler technical procedures, 
