The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1867-06-05
LOCAL DEPARTM EMIT.

MEETING OF THE BOARD OF HEALTH.-A.
meeting Of this Board was hold in the Board Of
Aldermen's Chamber, City Hall, at 4 p. m, yes.
tsrdayi Gen. Peter T. Bacon in the chair, and
DR.. @. NJ. Dove, secretary.
There wore present Drs. Baldwin, Prentiss,
Todd Ford and Feuwick, and Messrs. Wilson,
Drake, Bacon, Elliot, Gaddis and Pearson.
DR.. Baldwin stated that the committee hp.
pointed to consider the proposition Of Mr.. Sam.
stag for the removal Of night soil, TO-, were not
prepared to report, and the committee were al
lowed further time.
The secretary (Dr. Dove) reported that the
Mayor had not as yet assigned him a room in the
City Hall.
DR.. Prentiss Of the committee appointed to
consider and report the best plan Of disnfecting
the city during the coming summer, and the best
articles for deodorizing purposes, handed In n
long and interesting report which was read by
DR.. Dove, the secretary. Judging by the report
as read, the task Of considering this subject
could not have been committed to minds better
able To contend with this important subject. Ono
hundred copies Of the report were ordered to BIO
printed in pamphlet form. Tho committee was
then voted to be q standing committee. The
following is the
REPORT OF COMMITTEE or DIsINFEcTANTs.
The committee which have tho honor to report
to-day were appointed to consider the subject
Of disinfectants, and report to the board the
proper articles to be used as such, and suggest
the manner in which they can DO most advan-
tageously applied"
This lays open a broad subject for considera-
tion, and one upon which n legion Of articles and
pamphlets have within the past three years been
written, many Of them upon occasions similar to
the one which calls for q report to-day. 1t 10,
however, the desire Of the committee to be as
brief as the nature Of the subject will allow, and
they will endeavor to give only considerations Of
practical importance, and mention only those
agents whose value Is undoubtsd from extended
experience.
10 arrive at full understanding of the object
before u.s. II Is necessary to obtain more correct
and exact idea Of the meaning Of tho term dian.
fsctant than is contained in its ordinary acoep'
tation.
"Disinfection, In the widest sense of the term,
includes deodorizAtiop, and means the neutrali
ration or destruction Of all substances arising
from purifying organic matter or emanating from
diseased animals, (persons,) either injurious t.
health or offensive to the sense Of smell."-(Wm
Crookes', +. r. g., report to her Majesty's com
rnissionsrs on the application Of disinfectants IL
arresting tho spread Of the cattle plague.-Lon
don Chemical Nstcs, June, 1861 1t is no
sufficient to deodori =s-tbat Is to destroy sucl
gasss as sulphuretted hydrogen, phosphorettet
hydrogen, and ammonia, which are offensive oil
oocount Of their odor--but also which Is by IA
tho most important, to destroy those emanation
that are injurious to health-whch We know
exist, but are not recognizable to any of on
. senses.
Thi, end may DO attained in two ways: l. D
the use Of those agents which decompose tn
eHiuvia Of putrifaotiou, and destroy the putri
matter itself by oxidation or q similar process
This Is the province OF disinfseiants in the hmite
sense Of the word Q. by the use Of those agent
which prevent the tendency to putrifaotion, @
check that process when established, ind destro
the germs Of organic life. These arc called ant
septieJ.
The former of these classes 10 the most popult
because IL addresses itself directly to our perceI
tive faculties by clearing at once 4 vitiated a
mosphere Of its foul odors; but 1t is not how
ever of as great sanitary Importance as tho latt,
GLASS, because the antiseptio acts upon the moi
correct principle Of obviating the difficulty b
striking at the root Of the evil, and removing il
cause.
The deodoriEer,, Of which chlorine may
taken Is the type, have tho greatest affinity f
the gases which constitute foul odors and the
6rst action is upon them.
It's to DO observed, however, that these gass
do not In themselves produce disease, and thel
Is no evidence oftheir being detrimental to healt
unless they are the bearers Of specific virus,
ara present in suHicient quantity to impede resp
ration. The relation between the process fputr
faction and the prevalence Of epidemic disease
that this process furnishes a favorable indus 4
the development Of the specific spores or germ
Of that disease, and they are disseminated vii
the putrid emanations The action of the
odorizsr Is FIRST upon theso carnations and aftt
wards ifit be not by that time exhausted, up,
the real source Of danger the impurity OF
atmosphere may be no longer observable by Z
sense Of smell, but the true danger Of infecti
be as great as before. The protective agent,
DO effective, must be in greater abundance th
merely to heutralize foul odors The oorre
ness Of this statement is well illustrated by /
following experiment "Cheese mites were P
into water mixed with strongly smelling chez
and sulphuretted hydrogen. Watery solution
chlorine was gradually dropped into the m1tr
from burette. The smell OF sulphursted
drogen was the first to go, then some smell
cheese, but it required considerable quantity
chlorine to kill the mites Exactly the same
pertinent was then repeated, only leaving out
sulphuretted hydrogen and cheese. The ehlori
had now nothing to divert its energy from I
cheese mites, which were consequently killed
fore one fourth the quantity of chlorine used
the frat instance had been added" wv
Crookes, i. II. 81
Tho cheese mites in this experiment stand
place Of the specific germs Of disease.
dnttSeptics on tho other hand, begin at
opposite end of the SCALE they produce no Of
upon the offensive eihuyia, and do not. thereto
Recommend themselves to popular prejudi
tbay do not dsJtrOy putrid matter, but they aV
the necessity Of destroying by rendering che
cal change impossible, and are dihwscfantS
killing tho germ of Infection Salt meat
,sptio properties Of common salt and saltpS
and Of smoke. A very important adVant
possessed ~ this class over the preceding
that here We effect is permanent, while In
former instance 1t is only temporary
A piece Of meat was allowed to become pu
and then cut int two pieces one piece was
msrSed In chlorine water, which immedia
diSsipatsd all unpleasant odori but on b'
again hung up, It was, in few days, as pu
az before The second piece was dipped
solution of cArbolio acid, (actiye principle
smoke the fcstOr still remained, though sc
what masked by the smell Of the carbolic a
This piece was also exposed in a warm pl
but NO change took place in three weeks, OF
from drying Numerous experiments m
also be quoted to prove how readily and qui
tho true antissptics destroy all the lowcr f
Of minute organized lifsj but We content
selves with q statement of the fact.
In the practical application of these prime
tits to bs remembered that many Of the al
Of other Of the above classes combine,