The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-03-29
DANGER In TRAINS.
Women's Dresses, PhYsi-
clans Say. Should Not
Drag on the Ground.
THEY DISTRIBUTE FEVER GERMS.
Evils Resulting From Eypectora-
tion-Advent of the BUSH
ness Woman.

The views of a number of physicians
were obtained yesterday as to the dan
ger in spreading diseases attending
the wearing of long skirts on the
streets. Some were of the opinion
that trailing dresses contributed large
ly to the spread of diseases, while
others thought they had little to do
with creating new disease centers. All,
however, agreed that skirts should
clear the ground as q a of clean
illness, independent of the question of
health.
Chief Medical Inspector j. Howard
Taylor strongly ~deprecates the wear
ing of long skirts. He says the dress
of woman should be at least an inch
or, better, two inches off the ground,
as trails catch and carry disease
germs.
For instance" he explained, sup
pose a woman wearing a long skirt
enters the room of a scarlet fever
patient. The dress, especially if it
should be damp outside, would catch
up the scales from the patients body
that lie scattered like bran in the car
pet. She may then make a call upon
a friend and leave some of the disease
germs in her trail upon the carpet OF
the house. One or more members OF
the family would shortly be stricken
down with the disease as scarlet fever
often spreads in this manner In the
same respect does the long skirt APP
ply to the spread of diseases in catch
ing the filth of the sidewalks.
BAD HABITS OF AMERICANS.
DIR. William NJ. Angney, who is the
attending physician at the Home
for Consumptives, spoke of con-
symptoms spread by the long skirt.
He thought that the trailing dress
should not be worn on the streets, If
at all. 1.-The habit of splitting" he
went on, sis essentially American. L
am told that in Europe the principal
streets are not covered with expec-
torations as here. The spittal of con-
sumptives and those who suffer from
diphtheria carry the disease germs.
1t is on account of this that physicians
object to hay and straw in street cars
Women who wear long skirts a
gather up this matter and bring 1T
home. and a new disease centre i'm
mediately springs up.
ADVICE TO BOTH SEXES.
s"Thus the question of ex~pectoratlon
is two-fold. Men should be forbidden
to expectorate in public places when
the matter can be gathered up by the
skirts of women; and again. women
should not wear long skirts in the
street.n DIR. Charles L. Mills discussed
the long skirt question in a different
and novel light. He believes that the
long skirt is not such bad thing after
ali. 1t might spread disease by catch
ing up the filth Of the streets, but he
considered it was not more dangerous
than money.
"Now there is another aspect to this
question" argued DIR. Mills. land it is
this: 1t tends to mania. Why l have
patients who are afraid of the milk
and water they drink. They will not
drink milk unless it has been boiled,
and they go securing all over the
country inquiring into the health of
the cows. Again, another patient
wipes her face and hands on ten or
twenty different towels in dread of
filth. and yet another wouldn't touch
a dog for the wealth of a CrHsus, lest
she should have hydrophobia- They
have phobias, and this long skirt
question is revealing another mania.
Some of these days it may. be
considered dangerous TO Breathe" he
concluded, with a smile.-PbGtGdet-
DhiG Press.