Evening star., 1901-02-02
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In caring for any contagious disease at
home there are certain precautions to be
observed by the nurse for her own safety
as well as the spread of the disease. Free
ventilation is one of the most important
items. The better the ventilation the less
the chance of contagion by diluting the air.
To insure this take a board about foot
wide and the length of the window and
slip 1t under the window opened to admit
it. This provides constant current OF
fresh air through the middle opening be-
tween the two sashes and without danger
of draughts. Then, by opening the window
from the top short distance. several times
an hour. the room is kept thoroughly aired.
Prolonged contact with the patient should
be avoided and no food or fruit that has
been in the sick room should be eaten by
any but the patient The person filling the
office of nurse should never eat without
previous and thorough washing Of the face
and hands. Ordinary soap and water clean
illness Is not enough. This must be sup
plemented by some disinfecting preparation,
preferably a solution of 1 to 1000 corro-
sive sublimate. For the prevention Of con-
lagion to others strict quarantine should
be established. An upper room should be
used If possible, and the furniture should
be as severely simple as is consistent with
the comfort of the patient. If there Is
prospect Of long Illness, two small cots
will prove great convenience. BY placing
them close together it Is easy to move the
patient from one to another when changing
The bedding. and also permits each to be
thoroughly aired each day. Preferably the
floor should be bare, with two or three
light rugs that can be cleansed when the
quarantine Is removed All draperes of
woolen should be dispensed with, likewise
pictures, books or any upholstered furni-
ture or bric-a-brac that VIII not stand dis
injecting. In severe cases an excellent pre-
caution for the safety of the rest of the
house is to hang a sheet portiere- wise be-
fore the door of the sick room and fire.
quently saturate it with diluted carbolic
acid, so that whenever it Is necessary to
open the door, the air passing out of the
room is purified before reaching the halls
The nurse should also be provided with
several loose cotton gowns to wear in the
sick room, changing them If permitted to
go into other parts of the house
Nothing must go out of the sick room
be thoroughly scalded before sending the
tray out Of the room. At the end of the
disease the room and Its contents, including
both nurse and patient, must be thoroughly
disinfected.
Among the most powerful disinfectants
are dry heat, moist heat, carbolic acid,
chloride of lime, corrosive sublimate for
r.aldehyde and sulphur Dry heat is fair
but moist heat is better. A half hour )
boiling at the temperature of 2l2 degrees
will kill anything. An excellent stock So
luton Is made by dissolving four ounces
chloride of lime in one .gallon of water
This can be diluted. The active agent here
is chlorine gas. Buy the chloride of lime
In closely stoppered bottles. Corrosive sub
to 1000. or one part to 5000 It comes in
tablets. One tablet dissolved in one Quart
of water gives solution of one to 1000
Carbolic acid Is more expensive and not as