=Formaldehyde.=--At present the tendency is to employ formaldehyde gas instead of the sulphur so popular some time ago. The advantages of formaldehyde over sulphur are: (1) its nonpoisonous nature; (2) it is a very good germicide; (3) it has no injurious effect upon fabrics and objects; (4) it does not change colors; and (5) it can be used for the disinfection of rooms with the richest hangings, bric-a-brac, etc., without danger to these. Formaldehyde is evolved either from paraform or from the liquid formalin; formerly it was also obtained by the action of wood-alcohol vapor upon red-hot platinum. Formaldehyde gas has not very great penetrating power; it is not an insecticide, but kills bacteria in a very short time, and spores in an hour or two. Paraform (polymerized formaldehyde; trioxymethylene) is sold in pastilles or in powder form, and when heated reverts again to formaldehyde; it must not burn, for no gas is evolved when the heating reaches the stage of burning. The lamps used for disinfection with paraform are very simple in construction, but as the evolution of the gas is very uncertain, this method is used only for small places, and it demands two ounces of paraform for every 1,000 cubic feet of space, with an exposure of twelve hours. Formaldehyde is also used in the form of the liquid formalin either by spraying and sprinkling the objects to be disinfected with the liquid, and then placing them in a tightly covered box, so that they are disinfected by the evolution of the gas, or by wetting sheets with a formalin solution and letting them hang in the room to be disinfected. The method most frequently employed is to generate the formaldehyde in generators, retorts, and in the so-called autoclaves, and then to force it through apertures into the room. Of the other gaseous disinfectants used, hydrocyanic acid and chlorine may be mentioned, although they are very rarely used because of their irritating and poisonous character. =Hydrocyanic Acid= is frequently used as an insecticide in ships, mills, and greenhouses, but its germicidal power is weak. =Chlorine= is a good germicide, but is very irritating, poisonous, and dangerous to handle; it is evolved by the decomposition of chlorinated lime with sulphuric acid. Chlorine gas is very injurious to objects, materials, and colors, and its use is therefore very limited. _Chemicals Used as Disinfectants_