The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1890-08-29
AROUSED TO ACTION.

diseases or other causes, the health
officers and the inhabitants become
careless and forgetful Of their sanitary
condition, and needless of the primary
laws which govern the health of cities.
This has been true of Corvallis. AL
though there is no adequate sewerage
system here, still the clty's officials
and the citizens could sustain a more
cleanly condition of Corvallis than they
have in recent years. The late report
of the existence of two cases of dlph-
liberia in our midst has aroused tie
health committee to a sense of its duty,
and it has ordered a general cleanup.
The committee has been making an
examination of the alleys and other
localities in which filth may have col
lected, and have caused the bitches and
sewers to be flushed in the best man
ner with the means at hand. The
marshal has received emphatic instruc-
tions to enforce the sanitary l;,ws of
the city, and it is hoped that he will
meet with no remonstrance. While
the circumstances indicate that there
is small occasion for alarm, every pre-
caution should be taken. The council
has ordered printed the following per-
t1nent information for the benefit Of
those who wish to disinfect or fumi
grte to prevent the spread of the
disease:
A very important mode of preven-
ton consists in disinfection. The ex-
periments of Schotta and Gaetner, and
OF Strenberg, prove the inefficiency OF
small doses of dlsenfectants in COM
mon use. The popular idea, some
times even shared by physicians, that
the faint odor of chloride of lime or of
carbolic acid in a sick room Or in
foul privy is evidence that the place is
disinfected, is entirely erroneous.
Particularly in regard to the latter
agent, it may be stated at once that its
employment for disenfecting purposes
on a large scale is impracticable, both
on account of the expensiveness of the
acid and the enormous quantities re
quired to produce the desired effect.
For in regard to its efficiency it does
not rank very high in comparison with
great many other articles, as may be
seen from a table of the disinfecting
properties of different chemicals pub
lished by MIGUEL in the Semaine Medi-
Gale.
For practical purposes I know of no
better or simpler rules for disenfecting
than those published by the Natlona!
Board of Health In the Bulletin No.
10, of September 6, 1879, the follow
ing Instructions for disenfection were
published: Deodor;zers, or substances
which destroy smells, are net disln-
fectants, and disinfectantsdo not nee
essarily have an odor.
"Disinfection cannot compensate for
want of cleanliness nor of ventilation.
I. Disinfcctants to be employed:
l. RoH-sulphur (brimstone) for
fulnigation.
2. suIphate of iron (copperas) dis
solved in water in the proportion of
one and half pounds to the gallon;
for soil, sewers, etc.
3. Sulphate of zinc and common
salt, dissolved together in water in the
proportion of fcur ounces sulphate and
two ounces salt to the gallon; for
clothing, bed linen, etc.
Carholc acid is not included in the
above list, for the following reasons:
1t is very difficult to tell the quality OF
the commercial article, and the pur-
chaser can never be certain OF Secuf-
ing it of proper strength; it is expen-
sive when of good quality, and exper-
ience has shown that it must be en-
ployed in comparatively large quanti-
ties to be of any use; it is liable by its
strong odor to give false sense of
security.
II. How to use disinfectants:-
l. In the sick-room.-The most
available agents are fresh air and clean
illness. The clothing, towels, bed
linen, ETC., should on removal from the
patient and before they are taken from
the room, be placed in pail or tub of
zinc solution, boiling hot if possible.
All discharges should be received
in vessels containing copperas solution,
or, when this is impracticable, should