50
with straw and taken to the District Office. If there are any empty jars to be
returned from the District Office they are brought to the Central Depot by the
coolies on the hand cart. A receipt is given by the District Officer for the number
of full jars he receives and the clerk at Foras Road gives a receipt for the number
of empty jars returned.
The strong 10 per cent, solution is diluted before use. Each District Officer is
provided with a cup holding, when quite full, six ounces, and also with wooden
buckets holding, when nearly full, 380 ounces. The Perchloride solution is intended
to be used of a strength of 1 in 760. Five ounces of this strong 1 in 10 solution
contains 1/2 ounce of Perchloride of Mercury, and this when made up to 380 ounces
with water gives the strength required. In order to give a margin for errors the
cups used have a capacity of six; ounces, but as in practice the cups are never quite
filled approximately five ounces are added to each bucket of water.
The whole procedure is simplified as far as is possible—wooden buckets and cups
of a definite size are provided, and one cup full of the solution issued from the
Central Depot has to be added to each bucket of water, and the resulting mixture
consists of a solution of Perchloride of Mercury of the strength required. Wooden
rods are used for stirring the mixture in the buckets after the contents of the cups
have been added to them.
E Ward West was the first District in Bombay to be supplied with the strong
Perchloride of Mercury solution. This was on March 28th when 20 jars were issued.
The disinfectant was issued to the other districts by degrees until by the end of May
all the Districts were being supplied with the exception of C Ward. This ward
was not supplied with the disinfectant until the beginning of June.
The total number of jars of the disinfectant issued up to the end of May was
578, divided amongst the different districts as below :—
A Ward
B
B
D
E
E
E
F& G
North ... ... ...
South ... ... ...
.... ... ...
East ... ... ...
West ... ... ...
Ripon Road ... ...
Wards ... ... ...
... Jars 30
...
„
... „
... „
... „
... „
... „
... „
Total...
88
50
20
125
145
85
35
578
Methods of Preparation.—At first the Perchloride of Mercury solution was
prepared in a large earthenware tub holding 8 gallons. As Perchloride of Mercury
is nominally soluble, weight for weight, in Hydrochloric Acid, 80 Ibs. of Perchloride
were added to 8 gallons of Hydrochloric Acid. Two pints of this solution contained
21/2 Ibs. of Perchloride, so when 2 pints of this solution were added to the 21/2 gallon
stoneware jars and the jar filled up with water the necessary 10 per cent, solution
was obtained.
Great difficulty was experienced in dissolving such a large quantity of Per-
chloride of Mercury and the time taken was so long that in the next series of jars
prepared only 40 Ibs. of Perchloride were added to 6 gallons of acid and 2 of water.
Although the Perchloride dissolved more readily than when the larger quantity- was
used, it was found that more than 24 hours was required to effect complete solution.
In the end it was found that there were fewer sources of error and that it was
quicker and more convenient to prepare the 10 per cent solution directly in the