American Red Cross Text-Book on Home Hygiene and Care of the SickAmerican National Red Cross
Science
American Red Cross Text-Book on Home Hygiene and Care of the Sick
American National Red Cross
Home nursing; Hygiene; Nurses; Nursing
CARE OF THE HANDS.--Disinfectants for the hands should be used in
addition to scrubbing with soap and water, not as a substitute. The
hands may be disinfected after scrubbing by soaking them for three
minutes in one of the following solutions: alcohol 70%, carbolic acid
solution 2½%, or a solution made by adding one teaspoonful of lysol or
of creolin to a pint of water. These disinfectants are poisons if taken
internally; the bottles must be carefully labeled and kept in a safe
place. It is a good plan to wear rubber gloves when handling infective
material; the gloves should afterward be boiled for ten minutes.
CARE OF UTENSILS.--A sufficient number of dishes, spoons, tumblers,
basins, etc. must be reserved for the patient's exclusive use; these
utensils must be washed separately and dried with towels not used for
other dishes. Mistakes frequently occur by which other persons use the
patient's dishes, and in consequence his dishes should not be kept in
the cupboard with other dishes; if no other safe place can be found,
they had better stay in the patient's room covered with a clean cloth or
napkin. The dishes should be scalded daily and at the termination of the
illness they must be boiled briskly for ten minutes before they are
returned to general use. Food left on the patient's tray should be
burned; it should not be eaten by any one else, nor placed in the pantry
or refrigerator with other food.
CARE OF LINEN.--A satisfactory way to disinfect towels, night gowns, bed
linen, etc. is to place the articles immediately in a wash boiler filled
with cold water to which a little washing soda has been added, and then
to boil them in the same water for twenty minutes; they can afterward
go safely into the regular laundry. The boiling may be done once a day;
articles soiled in the meantime may be left to soak in the cold water
and soda.
DISINFECTION OF THE PERSON.--"The cleansing and disinfection of the
person includes washing the entire body and the hair with soap and
water; thorough brushing of the teeth; rinsing the mouth; gargling the
throat, and douching and spraying the nose with an antiseptic solution;
and finally, a complete change of clothing (or a change of underwear)
and a thorough shaking and brushing of the outer garments out-of-doors
before these are put on again."--(New York State Department of Health.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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