Evening star., 1897-02-06
4 FILTHY and Dangerous Habit.

II Is announced that the Metropolitan
Railway Company has decided to attempt
to add to the comfort and health of its
patrons By posting in its cars a rule pro-
hibiting expectoration within the cars
The need OF such rule. backed by legal
authority. has more than once been pointed
out by The Star. and reasonable objec-
tion can be raised against this very neces-
sary precaution against disease The
health authorities of New York have re-
Gently decided that the danger from the
unchecked spread of consumption is so
threatening that radical measures of pro-
tec-ion must be adopted. and in this con-
neCtion th"re is a strong demand for a
law making it a misdemeanor for any per-
son to expectorate in public convey ances.
BY including all within such a rule the
small proportion of persons who might
thus transmit disease will be surely rsSu-
lIted. and there will be a great gain in
cleanliness as well as a reduction of dan
ger from infection. The best medical au-
thorities are agreed that there is peril in
this habit of promiscuouS splitting. DR..
T. Mitchell Pruddeu. of this country $
most eminent bacteriologists, says in his
work on Dust and It's Dangers:
Persons who are cleanly enough in pri-
Vate houses will spit upon the street, or in
public conveyaEces. or the floor of
theaters and other places of assembly and
until the knowledge that the .,putum Of
consumptive PERSONS may be dangerous
shall have become widespread, our efforts
in the direction of the prevention of this
disease will continue to be counterdctad
by thu rnisdeeds of the ignorant and care
less. Public conveyances into which.
especially in this country. people are hUd-
died Unfortunately. are very rarely prop
erly cleaned and busted The dan
gers will be removed only when the travel
ers themselves realize that the disgusting
and very prevalent habit of splitting upon
the floor of public conveyances is not only
hlthy. but may be positively dangerous.
and the managers of the transportation
companies see to it that their conveyances
are actually frequently cleaned"
Authorities arguing TO the same end
might be repeated almost without number.
hut a single one in addition will be given
Passed Assistant Surgeon Craig of the
navy. in October. read a paper before the
National Sanitary Associa ton, in which me
said:
The expectoration of a consumptive per
son contains millions of the tubercle ba-
cilli. and in his going to and coming from
his place Of business this sputum is de-
posted on the street on the mating and
upholstery in cars and carriages, there to
De dried and then blown about as dust and
Inhaled by others. Probably no more dan
gerous sources of infection exist in our
towns and cities than the street cars with
their mats and mating. These things form
excellent and handy places for the con-
sumpttve to deposit his expectoration IL
SINKS into them. dries into dust and in a
snort time is ready TO be inhaled by some
one who possibly has had his resistive
power lowered by sickness or by exposure
or by want of food. or by overwork: and
the result Is. In many cases Infection
Accepting as established therefore. the
oanser of the spread of this deadly disease
through the medium of a very common and
hithy habit. II is an imperative duty on the
part or the municipal authorities to take
steps TO reduce this menace as far as pos-
Sfbie by insisting upon cIeanIy conduct i'm
local railroad company that has taken up
the matter on its own account-as much for
the preservation of it's property as for the
care or the public health-win not suffice
alone II must be reinforced by law or bv
regulations having the force of law The
Commissioners have IL now within their
jurisdiction to accomplish this result for
vi. lSs2. they are empowered TO make and
enforce all such reasonable police reguIa-
ttons as they may Deem necessary for the
protection of lives. limbs health comfort
and quiet of all persons. and the protection
of all property within the District of Co
lumbia-' In view of this sweeping authori-
zation it would seem that not single word
of new legislation on the subject is
requisite