Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-06-13
Dome Department.
HOW TO OISINFeCr A ROOM.

HOW TO OiSINFECr A ROOM.
The best means to disinfect a room
which has been occupied by consump-
tive or any person suffering from any in
fectious disease is to burn sulphur in the
room. TO do this, take dish-pan and
place fiat plate in the bottom of It, and
on this set kettle containing the proper
amount of sulphur mixture-equal guam
titles of powdered sulphur and charcoal.
Fill the pan with water so that it will
come half way up on the kettle. Then
turn alcohol and benzine on the mixture,
ignite and get out of the room as speedily
as possible. Alcohol is much the best to
cient for several pounds of sulphur. Let
the room remain closed for twenty-four
hours. The room should be left open an
other twenty-four hours and then thor
oughly cleansed, the furniture washed
with disinfectant solution, the walls new
ly kalsomined or papered, and the wood
work covered with fresh paint.
The room should be prepared previous
ly by having every crack about doors and
windows tightly pasted or stopped up.
The object of using water is that the heat
of the kettle will cause evaporation and
send moisture out into the room; for, the
the spores being very tenacious of life,
dry sulphur fumes are not sufficient to
kill them all. In the dry state the prod
uct is simply oxide of sulphur, but when
water is added we have sulphurous acil,
which is powerful enough to kill the
spores as well as the germs.
1t is of the utmost importance that
sufficient quantity of the sulphur be used
to make the work effective. | have seen
people attempt to disinfect a large room
with handful of sulphur barely sutii-
cient to disinfect dry-goods box. 1t IL
mounts to nothing whatever. Ascertain
the size of the room, and burn three
pounds of sulphur for every one thous-
and cubic feet of air. Take, for instance,
room which is twelve by fifteen feet,
floor measurement, and ten feet high,
which gives a cubcal contents of eight
cen hundred cubic feet. This is so near
ly two thousand feet that it would be best
to take six pounds Of sulphur to disin-
feet it.
Some people distribute handful of
chloride of lime about, which gives a
sanitary smell but is really of no value.
Many strange notions as to dsnfection
prevail. and all sorts of valueless re-
concentrations are going the rounds of
the papers. For instance, called upon
a patient once and found tub of water
under the bed, and it was explained to
me that this was for the purpose of abb
sorbing germs. Others will set powder
ed charcoal around on trays, or a little
chlol ide of lime on saucer. Some peo-
pie seem to imagine that the germs will
hunt up the disinfectant and destroy them
selves. a strong solution of copperas
Will kill all the germs it touches, but it
will NOT kill the spores or seeds of the
germs.
Half pound of chloride of lime to
gallon of water makes good disinfec-
tant to destroy germs in eXcreta. provided
the chloride of lime is good, but the most
of it is poor, having lost its disinfecting
properties.
Another excellent disinfectant is cor
rosive sublimate, but is too dangerous
for common use, unless kept under lock
and key. 1t is best used in connection
with permanganate of potash, one drachm
of each to "A gallon of water. This will
make a reddish or purplish solution, and =,
if marked poison and handled with care,
will be dangerous chiefly to germs. This
solution is equal to about one part in one
thousand of each the corrosive sublimate
will destroy the germs, and the perman-
ganate of potash will destroy the Odors,
as well as furnish coloring matter. a So
luton of corrosive sublimate alone is col
orless, odorless, and nearly tasteless,
which facts greatly increase the danger
of using it. About one part in twenty
thousand is sufficient to kill germs, but
to disinfect eXcreta it is necessary to use
a strong solution, and the bulk of the
disinfectant should be equal to that of
the eXcreta.
For disinfecting the clothing from the
bed and the patient, soak for four hours
either in solution of corrosive subli-
mate or the same length of time in q two
per cent solution of carbolic acid. The
latter is to be preferred for general pur-
poses, for it will not affect the texture,
while corrosive sublimate will shrink
flannel clothing and make it harsh. If
the disease be diphtheria, scarlet fever, or
the like, every article of clothing or up
holstery which will not wash must be
burned.
\ solution of corrosive sublimate may
be used to disinfect room by washing
the walls aud floor in it, but the perman-
] 4. l.