消毒 and 殺菌: Disinfection, sterilization, and their objects
Read the targets of disinfection and sterilization. Separate washing a wound from disinfecting its surroundings, and method checking from completed sterilization.
Objects of 消毒
消毒 means disinfection or sterilization. 「調理の前に作業台を消毒した。」 reports disinfecting the work surface before cooking. 作業台 is the object disinfected.
「傷口をきれいな水で洗い、周囲を消毒する。」 has the English wording “Wash the wound with clean water and disinfect the surrounding area.” The imperative has two objects: 傷口 for washing and 周囲 for disinfection.
A sterilized object and a checked method
殺菌 means sterilization. 「瓶を熱湯で殺菌してから果物を詰めた。」 reports sterilizing a jar with boiling water before filling it with fruit. The jar is the target, and the following action has a stated order.
「調理器具の殺菌方法を確認した。」 reports checking how to sterilize cooking utensils. The checked object is a method; checking it does not report completed sterilization.
Overlap and distinct objects
The English meanings include sterilization for both 消毒 and 殺菌. Rather than imposing an exclusive difference in removal rates or effect, identify each sentence’s object.
Washing the wound and disinfecting the surrounding area have different objects. The sentence analysis does not merge them into disinfecting the wound itself or add a treatment procedure with temperatures or durations.
In 傷口を洗い、周囲を消毒する, what is washed and what is disinfected?
Show the answer and why
傷口, the wound, is the object washed; 周囲, its surroundings, is the object disinfected. Read the two objects separately rather than combining them into disinfection of the wound itself.