The age-herald., 1898-01-09

"Now, what can we say of the hand? The hand in order to serve the manifold purposes of it's existence is forced to con- tend with circumstances which by no means add either to it's cleanliness or free dom from courting~ disease. The import ance of this essentially mournful condition has manifested itself in many instances in a very palpable and painful way. Dis eases most dreadful in their nature and origin have forced themselves upon us, gv ing us the stigma of malefaction and our progeny the heritage of shame"
 Dr. Breiter gives a thorough discussion to what may be the result of contact of the hands. He declares that with men who are of cleanly habits, but who have acquired disease and sucaa as they would wish to hide from their fellow men, the specific bacillus of this disease has been found in filth collected from the hand. He has found tubercle bacilH In the dirt taken from the hand of the man suffering from tubedculosis, the Klebs-Loeffier mcrobe among cases of suspected diphtheria and had no doubt that the specific germs of every mierobe disease may and would be found in millions on the surfaces of the hands if proper experimentation were made. He proceeds as follows
 Many victims of scarlet fever. both in the early and desquamative stages, espe- cially the latter, are walking the streets of every large city ready to engraft upon the moist hand of any chance acuuaintance T may be said of persons with pulmonary tu- tuberculosis, the Klebs-Loemer mcrobe through constant wiping of the mouth, are foul and saturated with the bacteria-laden eXpectoration of the disease. Tuberculosis of the hand, the lesion large or small in area, often painless and ognized as such for a long while and perhaps untreat- ed, is by no means an infrequent occur renee. Scabies, we know has marked predilection for the hand Need mention nfh xxrIn are the result of hand to hand contact or not does not matter. The conditions them selves are dangerous elements and it is the consideration of such factors in the causation of disease that we are studying.
 "Of course, the mucous membrane serves as a better pabulum for the invasion and development of micro-organisms, but the skin is not absolutely negative in that re- spect, and, if it were, it would make Iit- tie difference, as the two, skin and mucous membrane, are very often in close apposi- tion with each other. We know that the hand has carried bacteria to the mouth disseminating contagion in that way. Ty- phoid fever, Asiatic cholera, diphtheria andeother diseases are known to have been produced that way. Why search through medical libraries for similar and perhaps more conclusive evidence? The subject has passed the stage of novelty. So, while we professional people are, by reason of our profession, forced to invite and then to battle-for we have antiseptics-with these enemies, there is no reason why we should unnecessarily and under the cloak of custom invite them and then leave them to do their harm. No antiseptics are ever thought of after procedure which is prac- ticed by everybody throughout the civil ized world.
 Some may look upon this subject with derision. Nevertheless the truth is this No matter how small the percentage of evil consequences arising from this univer- sal hand shaking, the total number, in view of it's extensiveness, must necessarily be great. The subject is deserving of se- rious consideration. Conscientious physi- clans and surgeons will accord it."