Handbook of Medical EntomologyRiley, William A. (William Albert)
Science
Handbook of Medical Entomology
Riley, William A. (William Albert)
Insect pests; Insects as carriers of disease; Medical parasitology
Suppose a room to be 12 by 15 by 8 feet. It will contain 12 × 15 × 8, or
1440 cubic feet. For convenience the writer always works on the basis of
complete hundreds; in this case he would work on the basis of 1500 cubic
feet, and thus be sure to have enough. The foregoing room, then, would
require 15 ounces of cyanid, 15 ounces of sulfuric acid, and 45 ounces
of water. The room should be made as tight as possible by stopping all
the larger openings, such as fireplaces and chimney flues, with old rags
or blankets. Cracks about windows or in other places should be sealed
with narrow strips of newspaper well soaked in water. Strips of
newspaper two or three inches wide that have been thoroughly soaked in
water may be applied quickly and effectively over the cracks around the
window sash and elsewhere. Such strips will stick closely for several
hours and may be easily removed at the conclusion of the work.
While the room is being made tight, the ingredients should be measured
according to the formula already given. The water should be measured and
_poured first_ into a stone jar for holding at least two gallons. The
jar should be placed in the middle of the room, with an old rug or
several newspapers under it in order to protect the floor.
The required amount of sulfuric acid should then be poured rather slowly
into the water. _This process must never be reversed; that is, the acid
must never be poured into the jar first._ The cyanid should be weighed
and put into a paper bag beside the jar. All hats, coats, or other
articles that will be needed before the work is over should be removed
from the room. When everything is ready the operator should drop the bag
of cyanid gently into the jar, holding his breath, and should walk
quickly out of the room. The steam-like gas does not rise immediately
under these conditions, and ample time is given for the operator to walk
out and shut the door. If preferred, however, the paper bag may be
suspended by a string passing through a screw eye in the ceiling and
then through the keyhole of the door. In this case the bag may be
lowered from the outside after the operator has left the room and closed
the door.
The writer has most often started the fumigation toward evening and left
it going all night, opening the doors in the morning. The work can be
done, however, at any time during the day and should extend over a
period of five or six hours at least. It is said that better results
will be obtained in a temperature of 70° F., or above, than at a lower
degree.
At the close of the operation the windows and doors may be opened from
the outside. In the course of two or three hours the gas should be
dissipated enough to allow a person to enter the room without danger.
The odor of the gas is like that of peach kernels and is easily
recognized. The room should not be occupied until the odor has
disappeared.
FUMIGATING A LARGE HOUSE
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account