Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1899-07-21
REPORT OF DR.. ALVAREZ

At a meeting Of the Board of
Health Wednesday afternoon there
were present the following: Presi-
dent Cooper, Drs. Wood, Day, and
Emerson, Health Agent Rsy nolds,
O. W. Smith, +. @. Winston, and
ID Keliipio. The session was de-
voted to the discussion of mic
sobes, and the various modes of
apnihilation. After the reading
LOT the following report by DR..
I Alvarez, the Board went into exc
cutive session:
Mr. II. E. Cooper, President of
the Board of Health.
Dear Sir: have the honor to
submit the report of the expert
men,s made to determine the eff.
cacy of formaline and also of sui
phur as disinfectants of merchan-
disc.
On the 18th inst, under the
direction of Dr.. +. r. Day, the
port physician, and Mr.. Q. b.
Reynolds, the executive officer 81
the Board of Health, prepared
six agar-sgsr Petri dishes, and in
oculated them as follows: Two
with bacili OF bubonic plague, one
with the baciE Of typhoid fever,
one with the bacili of dipbtheris,
one with the bacili of pseudo
dipbtheria, and one with the bach.
Illus prodigiosus.
l prepared also twelve agar.agar
test tubes, and inoculated them
with the pathogenic germs above
mentioned, and also with the baci.
Illus of pneumonia.
The Petri dishes and the test
tubes containing the germs of'thc
diseases mentioned, were placed
all over the room used for fumiga.
eating freight of the Pacific Mail
wharf. Wire netting was used TO
cover them as protection against
rats and mice.
The doors were closed, and the
formalin lamp discharged it's vapor
through a small hole in the door
for nine hours and q half.
On the following day the doors
were opened, and the Petri dishes
and test tubes gathered. 1t could
be seen at glance that all the
disease germs we're growing, and
showed vigorous colonies. The
bacillus prodigiosus grew with
such rapidity that the greater parI
of the Pe'ri dish was covered with
] bright red colonies.
Two days later numerous
moulds and ordinary germs found
in the air have grown in the dishes
: and test tubes.
From the foregoing facts l draw
the following conclusions:
Formaline, as used in this ex
pertinent, is worthless as a disin
fectant. 1t is not capable OF de-
strrying the germs of any disease
nor of arr ,sting their develop.
ment 1t did not show any dele.
terious influence over the ordinary
germs that float 10 the air.
Owing to the high temperature
Of tbs disinfecting room at the
Pacific Mail wharf, the germs
while exposed to the formaline
vapor grew faster and more luxu-
! RANT than they grow in the labora-
tory. -
However, it would be erroneous
to conclude that formaline ID
worthless rs a disinfecting agent,
because it proved to be of no value
in this experiment. Ito reputation
as a reliable disinfectant is wei
established, and our experience,
with it merely shows that tht
room at the Pacific Mail wharf il
not adapted to its use.
Formaline to be efficient lust bt
used 10 a room that is not too
large for the size of the lamp, and
above all, the room must be al,
tight.
On the following day--the l6tf
the experiment was repeated
placing new cultures of all thu
germs used the previous day about
the room at the Pacific Mai
wharf, using the same precautions
against rats and mice.
Sulphur WAS used instead o.
formaline forfour and a half hours
. On the 18th the doors were open
ed, and the Petri dishes and tes
tubes examined.
All the germs OF the differen
H., diseases were found dead, and n,