[The contribution of Robert Koch to the founding of the doctrine of disinfection and present priorities in disinfection research and practice].

Robert Kochs studies on disinfection are distinguished by well defined, clear experimental arrangement and commitment to practice. He investigated the effectiveness of disinfection by following recultivation tests in vitro and in animal experiments. He examined chemical substances of different origin, the action of hot air and superheated steam with a spectrum of microorganisms, including bacterial spores. Priorities of the recent development in disinfection are among other things the application of steam disinfectors and of chemical disinfectants in the gas-phase e.g. for disinfection of tubes, the use of combinations of tensides with disinfectants, of disinfectants effective against spores of clostridium and against hepatitis viruses, of disinfectants with low corrosiveness and low toxicity against men and domestic animals. Disinfection is a component of a system of measures in antimicrobial regimes and in protective systems.