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41
On no account should persons affected with consumption expectorate
about a room, or ou the pavement, or in vehicles, as the
expectoration when it has become dry and powdered will float
about in the air and infect susceptible persons. The small bodies
(bacilli) are very tenacious of life and will live among the dust of
rooms for a long time. A consumptive patient should occupy a
separate bedroom which should be well ventilated by the window
being constantly open.
The apartments occupied by the patient should be periodically
disinfected.
In the early stage of the disease it is absolutely necessary that
the patient should have abundance of nutritious food, plenty of
fresh air, and exercise in the open air for a certain time in the day.
When a person has died of Phthisis notice should be given at the
Public Health Office at the Vestry so that the room can be
disinfected.
DISINFECTION.
The disinfection of rooms and bedding has been carried out
according to the directions which I submit. Various complaints
have been made during the year of articles, such as sheets and
blankets, being scorched and stained. I was able to show to a subcommittee
appointed to consider this matter that it was impossible
to scorch clothing with the machine we employ (Manlove &
Alliott's). It was found that stains on sheets and counterpanes,
which could readily be removed by washing before being put through
the machine, were indelibly fixed by the disinfecting process. The
remedy for this staining is of course the washing of the sheets before
they are put through the machine, and this would have to be done
by a steam washer. All infected rooms are thoroughly dismantled
and bedding removed before the process of disinfection is commenced.