New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1895-11-27
DOES IT TRANSMIT DISEASE.
Dr. Emil Weschcke Argues that the Tele-
phone Does.
An Interesting Paper Read Before the Los
Angeles Medical Society,"

evening aC Llle HILL VI Illc ClamOeI Ol
commerce. The president, DR.. O. D
Fitzgerald, presided, and the regular Sec
retarv, Dr.. Rose T. Bullard, officiated
in that position. A number of interest
icg papers were read and discussed by
both the members and the visiting ply
sicians present. The sensational paper
of the evening which discussed topic
of great general interest was by DR..
Emil Weschcke of San Luis Obispo upon
the subject of 'Disease Transmission by
the Telephone" The man points of his
highly scientific production were as fol-
lows:
If you examine a telephone mouth
piece, you perceive clinging to and about
the small circular diaphragm in IFS in
terror and along the sides of the funnel
or cup-shaped transmitter, an opaque,
grayish filthy Hooking deposit, which
may still be moist from the last speak
cr's breath and which, exactly resembling
the half-dried secretion from your nose,
is collection of filth and unquestiOna-
; bly, forms the nucleus of disease breed
ing colony of germs.
This must become apparent when we
consider the composition of the breath
thrown against the diaphragm Of the
telephone, the spittle deposited on the
rim of its mouthpiece, together with
particles of food it may contain or the
forms of cpithelial tissue cast from and
about the speakers lips.
That the breath and saliva partake of
noxious qualities, their fetor proves, as
docs the character of the deposited filth.
The teeth, carious perhaps. catch and
hold food particles, which, through the
natural warmth of the buccal cavity and
absorption of abundant salivary secre-
ton, soon disintegrate and rot, which is
due to the bacteria of fermentation and
putrefaction ordinarily found in the at
mosphere or in the food itself.
The activity of these germs we know
as they are thus carried into the tele-
phone transmltter by the breath or spit
tie, they lodge and grow, are perhaps ILL
tcrmixcd with a stray hair from the
beard or an epithelial cell and find in
these further nutritive material. Harm
less as are these common factors of
ordinary organic life, essential as they
are to it's existence, they easily become
associated from the modus operandi of
their lodgment, with the germs or poison
of pcrniciOus nature, those of disease,
deposited by affected speaker. Cau~;t-
tive factors Of transmissable maladies
in the ma ority Of cases germs, are or
uinarily distributed either by Inhalation
deglutition or absorption. a certain
disease may usually be contracted by
one Of these methods, yet its tontagion
the human system by any or all these
channels. SO it is with those diseases
which may be and unquestionably are
transmitted by the telephone. Diseases sc
distributed by Inhalation are diphtheria
scarlet fever and consumption Those
absorbed by the mucous membrane ol
The mouth arc cancer and syphills; by
the surroundings Of the mouth, lupus,
ialbcr', itch, ring worm and eczema.
.\s regards diphthcria, Luetfler has
.b.nionstrutc. its cause to be bacillus
capable OF rapid multiplication ever
outside of the body. Primarily local
!, CAUSES Il severe pharYngitis and nasa.
ratarrh before becoming systemic, anC
during its initial stage it becomes dan
yerous to the telephone speaker, since
il patient so afflicted is still capable OF
1ransacting ordinary business. He may
come before the transmitter directly
from the sick room Of a member of his
family i'll with the disease, and as he
fingers before the mouthpiece, breathes
into the same, transfers, perhaps during
cough, particle of lnhammatory
phlegm from his mouth, he becomes the
injector of the mouth piece.
The highly infectious character Of
diphtheria is shown by Dr.. Louis Smith
of New York, recording the case of d
physician who, while inspecting the fau
ces of child i'll with the disease, was
conscious that some of the contagion was
expectorated into his face and beard
and that he-sfterward fatally communi
Gated the disease to his own child. 1t il
EVIDENT that germs of such fearful power
capable of life outside the system, whel