TO STERILIZE INSTRUMENTS.
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.