The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-08-07
FORNAL|N GENERATORS
BOARD OF HEALTH HAS FIVE
NEW ONES.
Fumigation of Places When Dangerous
Diseases Occur to be the Rule-How
1t is Done.

The Board of Health has just receiv-
ed five new formalin generators, for use
in fumigating infected places They are
the latest and best machines of the
kind, made by the Kny Scheerer Com
pany, and are generally in use on the
mainland San Francisco has a hum
dred thousand dollar plant of the kind.
The generators are on small trucks
and easily moved about so that they
may be taken from house to house or
from room to room. The gas they gen.
crate is sure death to microbes of all
kinds and is harmless to carpets, fur
niture, or even silks. 1t is shot into
rooms through keyholes, or some sim
liar little hole, after the rooms have
been tightly closed up. With each ma
chine is short copper pipe, the end of
which goes through the keyholes. In
three quarters of an hour formalin gas
enough for 5000 cubic feet of space is
generated by one of the machines. The
formalin is first poured into a receiver
and a very hot oil lamp is lit beneath
1t. The gas is left in the room for four
hours at the minimum. The new gen.
orators cost 800 each. A sixth one is
on the way, having gone astray some
where en- route.
1t is the intention of the Board of
Health to carry out the policy of fumi-
cation in all cases of typhoid, smallpox
be contagious. The new machines will
be taken to private homes where it is
held to be necessary to do so, and for
malin gas will be employed to kill the
mikes"
Formalin gas differs from sulphur
fumigation in that it is not fatal to rats,
mice, etc, and is harmless to carpets
and clothing. The only living things
that sulphur does not kill are cats and
cockroaches. Even cats get done up in
the end, If the fumigation is strong
enough, but cockroaches stick their
noses in some small crack, and quietly
wait for better atmosphere.
Honolulu health authorities have had
some good opportunities lately to ex-
pertinent with various kinds of fumiga-
| ton. Some Pacific mail wharf cats af-
| forded a number of interesting tests,
which finally ended in the deaths of the
cats, though not until they had used up
all of nine lives. THE cats used to get
| caught sometimes" said Secretary
| Charlock of the Board of Health, who
used to do a lot of fumigating in pla
que times, but they stood it well.
| There were three or four kittens on the
wharf, and l have entered after fumi-
cation and found them all lined up at
one small crack that only gave a little
ray of light. They were stupid, but
| soon got better The cockroaches
emerged from their holes in lively con-
| dition. Everything else in the place
was dead. Sulphur kills dogs and rats
in short order. On the mail wharf it
! finally killed the cats, mother and all.
We were sorry that they got caught at
last, but they wouldn't stay out when
trouble was coming"
The formalin gas is absolutely I'M
| bearable to human beings. II has been
found that if a drop of the fluid is
spilled on the hot part of the machine,
| the surrounding atmosphere becomes so
strongly infected that no one can stay
near the machine. The gas will eat
through a rubber pipe in no time and
when a pipe begins to leak there is
nothing for men to do but stay away
from it. The gas has a very painful
effect on the eyes. The acid will eat
| into steel.
The new generators have already
been put into use. The local author
| tiles use just double the strength that
is used on the mainland. Hawaiian
| bacilli appear to be blessed with I'M
usually strong constitutions, and it has
been found best to be very thorough in
| dealing with them.