Abstract
The article focuses on the use of different kinds of disinfectants used for sanitization and cleaning of public and private places for curbing the spread of diseases from one place to another. Multiple methods were employed for disinfection; some of which are easily accessible to the common people while others were particularly used in infirmaries and hospitals at the time of treatment. The article also shows that disinfectants were supplement to medicine and they target limiting of the contagion to a space whereas medicines were given for the treatment of patients. Historically, the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries witnessed unprecedented development in the field of chemistry which led to the discoveries of different types of antiseptic solutions and disinfectants apparently endorsed by the germ theory. Image Credit: Wellcome Library, London. Wellcome Images images@wellcome.ac.uk http://wellcomeimages.org
Highlights
Amidst the rising number of Covid[19] cases across the globe, the health ministries and disease control agencies of different countries have been periodically issuing guidelines and protocols for people to safeguard themselves from the contagion
Medical researchers and health experts have revealed that people are required to be more conscious towards their personal hygiene and use disinfectants/sanitizers frequently in their homes and offices
During the Bombay Epidemic 1896-97, the British Indian government made steam disinfection mandatory near the quarantine centre and people coming to these centres were bound to take bath
Summary
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, disinfection was carried out in four distinctive ways – a) use of physical agents, b) use of chemical compositions, c) use of biological agents, and d) deodorants. He understood the need to avoid disease and instructed Alexander the Great that his armies boil drinking water and bury dung.”[8] this, objects and clothes of medical professionals were disinfected by placing them in boiled water for a specific time period and let them dry in the sunlight The prevalence of this practice could be assessed from the fact that “in 1797, Viborg recommended heating up to 64-65°C objects which had been in contact with the ‘contagious poison’ responsible for equine glanders”[9] With the increasing level of contamination of rivers water, it became necessary to employ water filtration techniques for clean water in the. In India, Susruta wrote in his book Susruta Tantra that the fumes of sulphur should be released in rooms used for surgical purposes to purify them from all kinds of impurities
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
