Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1893-08-16

provided always you give them the
proper conditions. These conditions
are to be found in dough which is be-
ing raised with yeast. They are
warmth, moisture and the organic
matter of the flour on which the germs,
after certain changes. feed
1t is necessary to remember at this
point that yeast is germ growth, and
when introduced into a mixture of glu-
cose or starch, in the presence of
warmth and moisture sets up a fer
mentation. If the mixture be a starchy
dough the yeast first changes a portion
Of the starch into glucose and then de-
composes the glucose by changing it
into two new substances, viz, carbonic
acid gas and alcohol.
Now the gluten, which is also con-
stituent of dough and moist starch af-
iords, with the latter, an excellent indus
for the development Of germs Of
disease as We'll as for the yeast germs.
The germs of cholera, as of typhoid
fever, would, if introduced into dough,
find very favorable conditions for their
growth.
| do not wish to ''posc" as an alarm
lSt, nor am | willing to say there Is very
much chance Of the germs of typhus
and of cholera reaching the stomachs OF
the people who eat bread which has been
raised with yeast. But I have not the
slightest cause to doubt that other dis
eases have been and will be carried
about in the bread.
I have met journeymen bakers, suf-
fering from culaneous diseases, working
the dough IN the bread trough with
naked hands and arms. | have no rea-
son to suppose bakers are less liable to
cutaneous diseases than are other men;
and | know, as every housewife knows,
yeast-raised bread must be worked a
long time. This is an exceedingly OBJ
leCtionable thing from the standpoint of
phvsician-for the reason that the
germs Of disease which are in the air
and duSt and on StairWayS and straps in
street cars, are most often collected on
the hands. Any person who has ever
kneaded dough understands the way in
which the dough cleans the hands.
This means that any germs which may
have found lodging place on the hands
Of the baker before he makes up his
batch of bread are sure to find their
way into the dough, and once there, to
find all the conditions necessary for
subdivision and growth. This is equiv
alent to saving that we must rely on
heat to Kill these germs, because it is
almost certain that they will be there
Now, underdone or doughty bread is a
form which every man and woman has
seen.
1T is beliefas old as the hills that I'M
derdone bread is unhealthful This
reputation has been earned for it by the
experience Of countless generations. and
no careful mother will wish her children
to eat bread that has not been thorough
ly cooked The reason given for this
recognized unhealthfulness has been
that the unc0oked yeast dough is very
difficult to digest. No one but phVs-
ician would be apt to think of disease
germs which have not been killed dur
ing the process of baking as the cause of
the sickness following the use of I'M
cooked yeast bread. Yet this result
from this cause is more than probable
I have not the slightest doubt that could
we trace back some of the cases Of i'll
ness which we meet in our practice we
would find that germs collected by the
baker have found their way into the
yeast bread, that the heat has not been
sufficient to destroy them that the I'M
cooked yeast bread has been eaten and
with it the colonies of germs, that they
have found their way into the blood and
that the call for our services which fol-
lowed, has rounded off this sequence of
events.
l have already pointed out that the
germs of disease are to be found i'll the
air and dust The longer any substance
TO be eaten is exposed to the air, the
greater the chance that germs will be
deposited on it. Bread raised with
yeast is worked down or kneaded twice
before being baked and this process may
take anywhere from four hours to ten.
1t has, then, the chance Of collecting
disease germs during this process Of
raising and it has two periods of work
ing down or kneading during each of
which If may gather the dirt containing
the germs from the bakers hands. AS
no bread save that raised with yeast,
goeathrough this long process Of rails
ing and kneading SO no bread save that
raised with yeast has so good a chance
of gathering germs.
What is meant by raising" bread is
worth few words The introduction
Of the yeast into the moist dough and
the addition of heat when the pan is
placed near the fire produces IN enor-
nous growth of the yeast fungi-the