fection as much as anything else, explains the continued prevalence of contagious diseases. Not one man in a hundred can be depended on to properly disinfect a house and its contents. He seldom realizes the necessity for strict attention to the minutiae of the work, and many articles escape disinfection.

The following case illustrates how diphtheria may spread: A gentleman living in Ohio lost a young child from diphtheria. The child's clothing and playthings were boxed up and placed in the garret. Sometime after this the man and wife moved to Kansas, where another child was born to them. More than two years afterwards the box containing the things belonging to his dead child was opened, and the playthings given to his second child and to other children in another family with whom he was living. Within ten days two of these children were dead with. diphtheria. Disinfection of the child's playthings would have prevented these two deaths.

Dr. George M. Sternberg, Surgeon-General United States Army, in a recent official circular upon "Disinfectants and Their Proper Uses," says:

The definition of a disinfectant adopted by the Committee on Disinfectants of the American Public Health Association in 1885, has now been generally accepted by well-informed sanitarians. This is as follows:

"The object of disinfection is to prevent the extension of infectious diseases by destroying the specific infectious material which gives rise to them. This is accomplished by the use of disinfectants.

"There can be no partial disinfection of such material; either its infecting power is destroyed, or it is not. In the latter case there is a failure to disinfect. Nor can there be any disinfection in the absence of infectious material.

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'Antiseptic agents also exercise a restraining influence upon the development of disease germs, and their use during epidemics is to be recommended when masses of organic

material in the vicinity of human habitations cannot be completely destroyed, or removed, or disinfected."

At the conclusion of the Lomb prize essay, published by the American Public Health Association in 1885, the following propositions are formulated:

"Disinfection consists in extinguishing the spark; killing the germ, which may light up an epidemic in the presence of a supply of combustible material-filth.

"The object of general sanitary police is to remove this combustible material out of the way, so that no harm may result, even if the spark be introduced.

"Antiseptic and deodorants are useful when it is impracticable to remove offensive organic material from the vicinity of human habitations, but they are a poor substitute for cleanliness."

Chloride of lime, carbolic acid, and mercuric chloride are issued by the Medical Department for use as disinfectants, properly so called. A solution of four per cent. of good chloride of lime, or five per cent. of carbolic acid, is suitable for disinfecting the excreta of patients with cholera or typhoid fever, or the sputa of patients suffering from diphtheria, scarlet-fever, or tuberculosis. The floors, furniture, etc., in rooms occupied by patients suffering from an infectious disease, may be washed with a two per cent. solution of carbolic acid, or with a solution of mercuric chloride of 1:1000. Soiled bed-linen, underclothing, etc., used by such patients, should be immersed in one of the above mentioned solutions before it is sent to the laundry. But, in the absence of any infectious disease, these disinfecting agents are not required, and their expenditure for purposes of general post sanitation is not authorized.

Sulphate of iron and other cheap antiseptics and deodorants may be used when necessary. But the necessity for their use is a reproach upon the sanitary police of a point, and should only be required under exceptional circumstances.

The alvine discharges of healthy persons do not require disinfection, and when properly disposed of do not require treatment with any chemical agent whatever. If waterclosets or earth-closets are offensive, this is due to faulty construction, to insufficient supply of water or of dry earth, or to neglect of ordinary cleanliness. The attempt to remedy such defects by the systematic use of antiseptics is expensive and unsatisfactory in its results.

The same is true of foul drains, bad-smelling urinals, accumulations of garbage, etc. The proper remedy for such conditions is cleanliness and strict sanitary police.

When accumulations of organic material undergoing decomposition cannot be removed or buried, they may be treated with an antiseptic solution or with freshly burned quicklime. Quicklime is also a valuable disinfectant, and may be substituted for the more expensive chloride of lime for disinfection of typhoid and cholera excreta, etc. For this purpose, freshly prepared "milk of lime" should be used, containing about one part by weight of hydrate of lime to eight of water.

During the prevalence of an epidemic, or when there is reason to believe that infectious material has been introduced from any source, latrines and cesspools may be treated with milk of lime in the proportion of five parts to one hundred parts of the contents of the vault, and the daily addition of ten parts for one hundred parts of daily increment of feces.

While the feces of healthy individuals in privy vaults or on the surface of the soil are innocuous, it is well known that epidemics of cholera, typhoid-fever, and camp diarrhoea are usually due to the contamination of drinking-water or food by micro-organisms contained in the excreta of persons suffering from these diseases. This may occur as the result of direct contamination of the water-supply, and probably, also, by the transfer of infectious material to the surface of meats, milk, and other articles of food by flies

which have recently been in contact with infectious excreta. This source of infection has not heretofore received proper consideration, and the probability of its occurring when the feces of patients suffering from the diseases mentioned are deposited upon the surface of the ground, or in open privy vaults, calls for extreme care, especially during times of actual or threatened epidemic. In camp, where it is necessary to use open pits as latrines, dry earth, quicklime, or wood ashes should be frequently thrown upon the surface of fecal accumulations.

All known disease germs are destroyed by the temperature of boiling water, maintained for a few minutes. This being the case, the destruction of articles of clothing which can be subjected to the action of boiling water or of live steam without material injury, is unjustifiable. Exposure to steam under considerable pressure, or to superheated steam, which requires a specially constructed steam chamber, is an unnecessary exaction, free exposure to flowing steam for one hour being sufficient to secure disinfection. But this applies only to articles which can be freely exposed in a steam chamber, and not to mattresses, pillows, bundles of clothing, etc. As a rule, immersion in boiling water for half an hour will be the most convenient and most economical method for disinfecting articles of clothing, bed linen, blankets, etc.

When hair mattresses and pillows require disinfection, it will be necessary to open them up, either before or after immersing them in boiling water or in a disinfecting solutions, in order that the hair may subsequently be thoroughly dried. When this is done, the fact will be reported to the medical director of the department, and instructions will be given as to the disposition of the material.

When of little value, or in the absence of proper facilities for disinfection, mattresses, pillows, and clothing may be destroyed in compliance with A. R. 1625; but the de

struction of articles which can be disinfected without material injury by immersion in boiling water or a disinfecting solution, is not authorized.

Dr. C. N. Hewitt, the secretary of the Minnesota State Board of Health, in a circular to the health officers of his own state, says:

“I wish to call attention to the means of disinfection at our disposal other than boiling. They are the use of concentrated alkalies, caustic lime in the form of fresh whitewash, or lime water prepared after the form here reprinted for convenience, and for washing clothing, floors, etc., strong soft soap, which is a potash soap and very fatal to microbic growths. These two agents are cheap, prepared by anyone, and available in country and town alike. The free use of the first upon all collections of excreta or other decaying matter, and of the last for cleansing purposes, make up a sufficient list of means for ordinary purposes, and if properly used, add largely to our safety.

"Lime water is the clear solution of quicklime. Take best quicklime in lumps, put in a pail, pour on one third as much water, cover closely, and slack till it is a fine powder or creamy fluid; one part of this to three of water will make a saturated solution. Add water in that proportion to the mixture, stir well, and then pour on half tea-cup of kerosene, which will protect it from the air and preserve its strength. Use the clear solution as needed, and the semi-solid matter can be made into white-wash or thrown into privy, cesspool, or garbage barrel. Always use soft (potash) soap' for cleaning floors, furniture, and the like, after infectious diseases; it is a powerful disinfectant."

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We wish to make the fact as emphatic as possible, that disinfection to be effectual must be thorough. Full and complete directions have been from time to time incorporated into the reports of this board, and many thousand copies in circular form distributed to the health officers and the public.