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104
(3.) Fumigation with formaldehyde vapour:—
(a.) By liberation under pressure of the
gas from an aqueous solution of calcium
chloride charged with formaldehyde.
(6.) By volatilisation of "formalin"—
paraform tablets—in limited supply of moist
air.
(4.) Spraying walls, etc., with antiseptic solutions—those
most used being solutions of mercuric
chloride (corrosive sublimate) and formaldehyde.
On general principles, disinfection is more likely
to be efficacious if the disinfectant be applied in solution
rather than in the gaseous form, but in the
application of such liquid to walls, ceiliugs, etc., there
is always the risk of missing small areas of the
surfaces to be disinfected. The risk can be diminished
to very insignificant proportions if the surfaces be
gone over more than once. The ideal disinfection of
a living room would include its perflation for one or
more days, the stripping off of all paper, and the
destruction of all paint, with subsequent re-papering,
re-painting, and white-washing. Such process, superadded
to a thorough cleansing of the floor boards, and
removal of all dust from every corner, crack, and
crevice, should free the room from all infection. Such
ideal is rarely obtainable—partly on the score of
expense and partly by the reason of the time the
room would be out of use, a serious consideration in a