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carbolic acid o£ the above-mentioned strength, remaining therein for at
least an hour, and afterwards boiled in water.
Handkerchiefs
not to
be used.
9.—Instead of handkerchiefs, small pieces of rag should be used, and
these, when soiled, should be immediately burnt.
Nursespersonal
cleanliness.
10.—Persons attending on the sick should not wear woollen garments, as
they are likely to retain infectious poison.; dresses of cotton, or of some
washable material, should be worn. Nurses should always wash their
hands immediately after attending to the sick person, using carbolic acid
soap instead of ordinary soap.
Precautions
with regard
to visitors.
11.—It is of the utmost importance that the sick room be not frequented
by others than those in immediate attendance on the sick, as the clothing
of visitors is very liable to carry away infection.
Precautions
during recovery.
12.—The scales and dusty powder which peel from the skin in scarlet
fever, and the crusts in small pox being highly infectious, their escape may
be prevented by smearing the body of the sick person all over every day
with camphorated oil. This, and the after use of warm baths, and carbolic
acid soap, are most essential. The sick person must not be allowed to mix
with the rest of the family until the peeling has entirely ceased, and the
skin is perfectly smooth; clothcs used during the time of illness, or in
any way exposed to infection, must not be worn again until they have been
properly disinfected.
Final disinfection
of
sick room,
bed, &c.
13.—When the sickness has terminated, the sick room and its contents
should be disinfected and cleansed. This should be done in the following
manner:—Spread out and hang upon lines all articles of clothing and bedding;
well close the fire-place, windows, and all openings ; then take a
quarter to half a pound of brimstone, broken into small pieces ; put them
into an iron dish, supported over a pail of water, and set fire to the brimstone,
by putting some live coals upon it. Close the door, and stop all
crevices, and allow the room to remain shut up for twenty-four hours. The
room should then be freely ventilated, by opening the door and windows,
the ceiling should be whitewashed, the paper stripped from the walls and
burnt, and the furniture, and all wood and painted work, be well washed
with soap and water containing a little chloride of lime. Beds, mattresses,
and articles which cannot well be washed, should, if possible, be submitted
to the action of heat in a disinfecting chamber, usually provided by the
local authorities. Until this Process of disinfection is effectually carried
out, the room, cannot be safely occupied.
Attendance
of children
at school.
14.—Children should not be allowed to attend school from a house in
which there is infectious disease, as, although not ill themselves, they are
very likely to carry the infection, and so spread the disease. No child
should be allowed to re-enter a school without a certificate from the medical
attendant, stating that he can do so without any danger of infecting other
children.
Precautions
in case of
death.
15.—In case of death, the body should not be removed from the room,
except for burial, unless taken to a mortuary, nor should any article be
taken from it until disinfected, as before directed in Rule No. 13, The
body should be put into a coffin as soon as possible, with a pound or two
of carbolic powder. The coffin should be fastened down, and the body
buried withot any delay.