sterilization

(ster’il-iz-a’shun). The act or proce of rendering sterile; the proce of freeing from all germs. It is usually performed by means af heat. Sterilization differs from disinfection in that it calls for the destruction of all bacterial life, while disinfection is not nece arily the de struct i on of all bacteria, but only of those that are infectious. fractional s., intermittent s., sterilization in which some time is permitted to elapse between the heatings. This is done so as to allow spores to develop into adult forms, which are more casily destroyed than the spores.