Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-12
As TO USE OF DISINFECTANTS
HEALTH OFFICER ISSUES PAM
PHLET OF INSTRUCTIONS.
Rules for Prevention Of Minor Con-
tagious Diseases-Value Of Sum
shine and Fresh Air.

What is a disnfectant. and how do you
use it?'
Information to the foregoing effect is
| continuously being asked Of officials OF the
health department OF the District by per-
sons In whose homes there has been a con-
tagious disease. The ofi1cials Of the health
department have been busily engaged OF
late sending out detailed pamphlets contain
ing rules and regulations for the prevention
OF scarlet fever. diphtheria measles ty-
phoid fever. whooping cough. epidemic
cerebro-splnal meningitis and chickenpox
ana pamphlets containing instructions rela-
tive to disinfection and disinfectants The
Instructions We're prepared with great care
by the health officer and his associates
The pamphlets containing the rules and
regulations for preventing the minor con
tagious diseases treat at length of disin-
lection.
Aim Of Distinction.
The aim of disinfection is to kill germs
which cause contagious Diseases after they
leave the body of the patient and before
they can enter the body of another There
are two classes of dsirfectants, one operat-
Ing by heat and one by chemical germi-
cides The health officer cautions the pub
lie against the of patent or proprie-
tary disinfectants. declaring that they are
practically worthless as well as expensive
The most useful and successful disinfectant
Is carboic acid. Sunlight and fresh air are
uescrlbed as dislnfectants for certain dan
Rerous disease germs.
other chemicals that have proved good
disnfectants are bichloride solutions solu-
ton OF corrosive sublimate and Tornado
hyde
The essentials Of dislnfection are de
scribed in the pamphlet as follows:
Germs can be killed by heat disinfect-
ants only under the following conditions:
The heat must be sufficiently Intense or
the disinfectant sufficiently strong
The germs must be thoroughly exposed to
the heat or to the disinfectant
The germs must remain exposed to the
heat or to the disinfectant for a sufficient
length of time.
Cooking germs to death We call disinfec-
ton by heat. Poisoning germs we call
chemical disinfection. Substances used t.
XIII germs by poisoning are called disinfect-
ants or germicldes.
Heat and Chemicals
Considerable pains has been taken by the
health officer to describe how to apply heat
and chemical disinfectants To the treat
ment of household furnishings with t.isln-
fectants thirteen pages of the pamphlet are
devoted. The health officer has arranged
table showing the various household arti-
cies, and naming the best kind of dlsn-
fectant to use on each article, and which
Will have the best effect. He also shows
how the articles should be treated and the
length of time for the application of th.
diSnfectant.
The health officer concludes his treatIs.
on diSinfection follows:
The health department maintains dis
Injecting service for the purpose OF assist
Ing citizens in the disinfection OF infected
premises and goods. Generally speaking
the department undertakes only such disIn-
lection as cannot be satisfactorily done by
the householder. Medical inspectors of th,.
health department are required, when visit
Ing infected premises, to determine what
1t Is necessary for the health department
to do. and TO make all necessary arrange
ments for the execution OF the work
The services Of the health department
and OF all OF its employees are without COS
to the citizen"