The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1893-08-24

But the germs of the greater part of
tious and contagious diseases, will de-
velop or increase in number without
being in the body of a human being,
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 -four 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 q mixture of glu-
cose or starch, in the presence vi
warmth and moisture sets ny a fer
mentation. If the mixture be starchy
dough the yeast first changes portion
of the starch into glucose and then de-
composes the glucose by changing 1t
into two new substances, viz, earbonic
acid gas and alcohol.
Now the gluten, which is also con-
stituent of dough and moist starch.
affords, with the latter, an excellent
ulQuS lOT the " StIius OI
disease as well as for the yeast germs.
The germs of cholera, as OF typhoid
fever, would, if introduced into dough,
And very favorable conditions for theif
growth.
do not wish to ''pose" as an alarm
ist, 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
have not the slightest cause to doubt
that other diseases have been and will
be carried about in the bread.
have met journeymen bakerS, SUI
aerlng from cutaneous diseases, work
ang the dough IN tho bread trough
with naked hands and arms. / have
no reason to suppose bakers are les,
liable to.cutaneous diseases than any
other men, and know. as every house
wife knows. yeast,reised bread must h.
worked long time. This - Yin ex.
'ceedingly Objectionable hing from the
standpoint of a physician for the
reason that the germs of disease which
are in tae air and dust and on stair
ways and straps in street cars, are
most often collected on the hands.
Any person who has ever kneades
dough understands the way in which
the dough cleans the hands. Thu
means that any germs which may have
found n lodging place on the hands Of
the baker before he makes up hh
bvtch of bread are sure to End theii
way into the dough, and once there, tc
find all the conditions necessary fol
subdivision and growth. This il
equivalent to saying that we must rely
on heat to kill these germs, because il
is almost certain that they will be
there. Now, UNDERGONE or doughy
bread is form which every man and
woman has seen.
1t is belief as old as the hills that
underdone bread is unhealthful. Thu.
reputation has been earned for it by
the experience of countless genera.
tions, and no careful mother will wish
her children to eat bread that has not
been thoroughly cooked. The reason
given for this recognized unhealthful-
ness has been that the uncooked Yeast
dough is very difficult to digest. No
one but physician would be apt to
think of disease germs which have moi
been killed during the process of bek-
ing as a cause Of the sickness FOLLOWING
the use of uncooked yeast bread. Yet
this result from this cause is more than
probable. l have not the slightest
doubt that could we trace back some
of the cases of illness 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 uncooked 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
followed, has rounded off this sequence
Of events.
1 have already pointed out that the
germs of disease are to be found in the
air and dust. The lsnger any sub.