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reduced to a minimum: but if the stage of the disease is advanced,
expectoration is, as a rule, more constant and profuse
and the danger of spreading the disease by this means is
greater.
(2) Ignorance or Carelessness of the Patient.—Ignorance or
carelessness will lead patients to be negligent in the disposal of
their expectoration. Instead of adopting the ordinary precautions
of depositing their expectorations in suitable receptacles
and periodically destroying them, they will spit indiscriminately
about their rooms, in fireplaces, on floors or furniture,
or in handkerchiefs carried about in their pockets, and
sometimes left in odd places about the living room. Expectorations
so distributed will dry up and become pulverised, and
ultimately disseminated through the atmosphere, to the danger
in this way of infecting other members of the family.
(3) The Amount of Air-space and Ventilation of such
Space enjoyed by the Patient in his Home.—Even in the acute
specific fevers, plenty of air-space and fresh air reduces the
danger of spreading infection from person to person. In cases
of Pulmonary Tuberculosis the same result follows where the
air-space and ventilation is ample ; on the contrary, where the
air-space is restricted and ventilation is imperfect the danger
of conveying infection is greatly increased.
(4) Closeness of Association between Patient and other
Persons.—The nearer related people are, the closer the association
and the greater danger of conveyance of infection to one
another. Husband and wife and children are more likely to
infect one another than more distant relatives or strangers.
Two or more persons sleeping in the same bed are more likely
to infect one another, than if they were sleeping in different
beds ; and such persons sleeping in the same bedroom are more
likely to infect one another than if they slept in separate
rooms.