The Bessemer indicator., 1893-08-19

"pIsEAsE GERMS FOUND THEIH
develop 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 mat
ter 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 n mixture of glu-
cose or starch, in the presence of
warmth and moisture sets upa fermen-
tation. If the mixture be starchy
dough the yeast first changes portion
of the starch into glucose and then
decomposes 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,
affords, with the latter, an excellent
indus for the development of germs of
disease as well as for the yeast germs.
Tho germs of cholera, as of typhoid
fever, would, if introduced into dough,
find very favorable conditions for their
growth.
do not wish to pose" as an alarm
ist, nor am willing to say there is
very much chance of the germ of
typhus and of cholera reaching til c
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, suf-
fering from cutaneous diseases, work
ing the dough in the bread trough
with naked hands and arms L have
no reason to suppose bakers are less
liable to cutaneous diseases than are
other men, and | know, as every house
wife knows. yeastraiscd bread must be
worked a long time. This is an ex-
ceedingly Objectionable thing from the
standpoint of a physician, for the
reason that the germs of disease which
are in the air and dust and on stair
ways 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 subdi-
vision and growth. This is equivalent
to saying that we must rely on heat to
kill these germs, because it is almost
certain they will be there. Now, un-
derdonc 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. This
reputation has been earned for it by
the experience of countless genera
tions, and no careful mother will wish
her children to cat bread that has not
been thoroughly cooked. The reason
given for this recognized unhealthful-
ness has been that the uncookcd yeast
dough is very difficult to digest. No
one but physician would be apt to
think of disease germs which have not
been killed during the process of bak-
ing as cause of the sickness following
the use of uncooked yeast bread Yet
this result from this cause is more than
probable. | 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 uncookcd 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 round
ed of this sequence of events.
have already pointed out that the
germs of disease are to be found in
the air and dust. The longer any sub
stance 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 pro-
cess 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 peri
DDS Of working down ur kneading dur
ing 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
so no bread save that raised with yeast
has so good chance of gathering
germs.
What is meant by raising" bread
is worth a few words. The iptroduc-
tion of the yeast into the moist dough
and the addition of heat when the pan
is placed near the fire produces an
enormous growth of the yeast fungi
the yeast germ in other words.
These fungi effect destructive fer
meutation Of portion of the starchy
matter Of the aour-one Of the most
valuable nutrient elements in the
aous. Ths fsrusntAtion produces car I
tooie eed ~, and this, having IL !
isila y ~ 49, pssslth 4 ~ \. J
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