The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-07-29
D~|S|NFECTANTS'
- -'"s a-N' -.4- , ~
NOT ALL GOOD
North Dakota Pure Food De-
partment Says Standards
Vary Greatly.
AND
Possibility That Parties will
Consider Themselves Sc
cure Basis for Trouble.

Distinctions on the market in the
United States today are not all dis
infectants. according to analysis made
at the North Dakota pure foo lab
oratory. j. H. Wright of that depart
ment, who conducted a test, makes
report Of the results in the current is
sue of the monthly bulletin.
In discussing the work, Mr.. Wright
says:
"a large number of d%isinfectant So
lutions on the market today. is posi-
tive proof of their extensive use
throughout the country. They are
by health officers: by physicians in
their private practice and by the gen.
eral public. Many of these prepara-
tons have a comparatively high ger
micidal value, while others are prac-
tically. worthless. Frequently these
products found upon the market are
not labeled to show their germicidal
value, while in other cases the claims
made by the manufacturers are false
and misleading n cannot be taken
as a true index of the value of these
preparations as disinfectants. The
extravagant and wholly urfounded
claims made for some d%isinfectants
may easily lead to a false sense of
security, so that much harm may re-
suit through the use of inert or. in
feriOr preparations. 1t is, therefore,
a matter of utmost Importance hat
the actual value Of the various disin-
fectants be determined and the results
published.
1.-The archaeological Standardization
of ~disinfectants has lately been the
subject of considerable discussion both
in this country and abroad. Several
methods for the bacterial assay have
been proposed and discussed, among
which the most important are the %
Rideal-Walker method and the (2)
Hygienic Laboratory method of An
derson and McClintoc.
"a large number of disinfectants
have been examined. In this work
the details were carried out strictly as
laid down by Anderson and McClintoc.
Open. seeding tubes were not used az
it was found Impossible to prevent
contamination. "a number of the same
preparations reported We're also eX-
amined by Anderson and McClintoc.
The results in some cases are quite
different, but this is undoubtedly due
to variations in the different samples
Of the same preparation.
Depends Oh Cultures 4.
1.-THE culture used throughout this
work was B. Typhosus. Hopkins.
which was transferred to sterile broth
every "a hours FOR ten days before be-
ing used. for a test. The strain Of
typhoid used is a very important fac
tor in this work. wide variations being
obtained when different strains are
used. This fact alone is undoubtedly
the cause of most of the variations
obtained by different workers. The
writer's experience has led to the con-
clusion that no uniformity may be ex-
pected until all workers use not only
h same organism but the same
strain as we'll. A large number of ex-
periments have been carried on with
different strains Of the bacillus, the
results OF which will appear in a lat
er bulletin.
Question OF Efficiency
These preparations were submitted
by the manufacturers themselves, and
are not necessarily the same as those
found on the market with similar
names. Neither does it necessarily
follow that the disinfectant with a
high co-efficient is the best and most
economical to buy. The cost and the
purpose for which 1t is to be used
must also be taken into consideration.
To obtain the true cost both tho nhe-