Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1893-08-18

ing raised with yeast. They arc
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 q mixture of glu-
cose or starch, in tho presence of
warmth and moisture sets up q fer
mentation. II the mixture be starchy
dough the yeast first changes u 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 a con-
stitucnt of dough and moist starch,
affords, with the latter, an excellent
indus for the development Of germs of
disease as we'll as for tho yeast germs.
Tho germs of cholera, as of typhoid
fever, would, if introduced into dough,
find very favorable conditions for their
growth.
Idonot wish to "pose" as IN alarmist,
nc am I 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
diseases have been and will be carried
about in the bread.
Ihave met journeymen bakers, suf-
fering from %cutaneous diseases, work.
Ing the dough in the bread trough with
naked hands and arms. 1 have no rea-
son to suppose bakers are less liable to
c%utaneous diseases than are other men,
and l know, as every housewife knows,
y~east-raised bread must be worked q
long time. This is an exceedingly OBJ
jectionable thing from the standpoint
OF a physician, 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 tho 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 a lodging place
on tho 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 equivalent to saying 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 a belief as old as the hills that
%undcrdone bread is unhealthful This
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
ono but O physician would be apt to
been killed during tho process of bak-
ing rs q cause of the sickness following
tho use of uncooked yeast bread. Yet
this result from this cause is more than
probable. 1 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
he's not been sufficient to destroy them,
that tho uncookcd yeast bread has been
eaten and with it the colonies ofgerms,
that they have found they way into the
blood and that the call for our services
which followed has rounded off this
sequence of events.
have already pointed out that the
germs Of disease are to be found in the
air and dust. The longerany substance
to be eaton is exposed to the air, the
creator 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
ton. It has, then, the chance of col
lecting disease germs during this
process of raising, and It has two pc.
RODS of working down or kneading,
during each of which it may gather
the dirt containing the germs from the
bakers hands. AS no bread save that
raised with yeast goes through this
long process of raising and kneading,
80 no bread sa.,e that raised with yeast
has SO good q chance of gathering
germs.
What is meant by @raising" bread is
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