1. All instruments should be boiled for at least fifteen minutes in
a 1 per cent soda solution. _Wrap the blades of knives and scissors
in cotton_, put them in a separate towel, and in one corner stick the
needles before folding it. Some surgeons prefer to have the latter
simply washed and placed in absolute carbolic acid and then in alcohol
for a few minutes. Water _must boil_ before instruments are put in and
the boiler must be kept closely covered.
2. In a German medical journal, published at Leipsic, Gerson
corroborates his former assertions as to the efficacy of disinfection
of instruments with tincture of soap, citing extensive bacteriologic
tests in evidence. He wraps the blades in Brun’s cotton, impregnated
with tincture of soap. The cotton protects them from the air and
the tincture is an efficient disinfectant. The instruments are then
ready for use at any moment. After using them he rubs them clean with
cotton moistened with the same tincture, then wraps them in a fresh
piece and lays them aside. No boiling or steaming is required, and the
instruments are not harmed by the process. He recommends this method
especially for military and other practice where steam disinfecting
appliances are not available. He has found that instruments infected
with pus, etc., and not even wiped off after having been used, proved
perfectly sterile after a few days in the wet cotton wrapper. No
colonies developed when they were rubbed on agar plates or soaked in
bouillon.
_To Arrange Instruments for the Convenience of the
Operator._—Instruments for immediate use are laid in trays on a small
movable table on the operator’s right hand. Instruments that may not be
needed are kept in another tray. A separate tray is used for suturing
material, needles, a pair of sharp-pointed scissors, and long forceps.
Before placing instruments in the tray, dry with sterile towels.