GERMLESS UNIFORMS.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15753, 21 November 1916, Page 8

GERMLESS UNIFORMS.

Interesting experiments in rendering cloth antiseptic so that. when earned into tlio. flesh in bullet or other wounfls it will not act as a breeding centro of Igcrrns have just been carried out by Dr. Mary L>avies. hactLTiologi.st of one of tlie French military hospitals.

Blue cloth from the uniform* •of French soldiers was hoi led in dilutions of pyxol. an antiseptic, exposed to tho weather for a r.ioiun, and then left uncovered in the laboratory lot- threo weeks. It wa.s then smeared with an emulsion of garden soil containing ninny of tho common germs fouud in wounds. After drying and nibbing ott most, of the mud small discs of tho cloth were buried in tho germ-free culture medium and placed in suitablo 6urrouudings for the breeding of germs. In no case did the germs thrive, and multiply. One of Dr. Davies's conclusions, expressed in an article in the "Lan?iV'' is that, open wounds in contact with antiseptic clothing would he less likely to become badly infected even if tho clothing were very dirty at.the time. Sho urges that no time should be lost in making a routine practice of adding some suitable antiseptic to the water m which soldiers' uniforms are now periodically boiled.