The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1898-01-26
DANGER tn 4 SHAKE.
A LEARNED D.SQU,S,7lON ON DIS
EASE TRANSFER.

cults From Hand Clasping.
Is it possible for one man to cOmmu-
nicate disease to another by the shaking
Of hands?
If this question be true, should the
custom be abandoned or should it be
modified under medical instruction so
as to minimize the danger?
The existence Of heterogeneous
inimical to life and health has been es-
tablished beyond dispute. Dr.. Breiter
Pounds his thesis, recently printed in
The Medical Record, on this hvpothe.
sis. But his leading point. insisted up
on with much force, is the danger which
is hidden in the apparently harmless
and sometimes pleasing custom Of shak-
ing hands. He says:
THAT the surface of the human body
is a very hotbed for the propagation Of
a great variety Of micro-organisms
%Fuerbinger, Mittman, Bizzozero. Ma
giora and Welch have elucidated most
conclusively. 1t is certainly beyond the
shadow of q doubt that in the presence
OF a predisposing factor and sometimes
even without that the microbic diseases
are ushered into existence by their indi-
vidual prototypes, this being essentially
brought about by contact in some way
Of the two contingent forces. Modern
surgery is founded on this principle.
The carefulness with which we prepare
our hands and surgical Instruments be-
fore and after a surgical operation we'll
exemplifes the Importance of a famil-
iarity with its dangers III every sense.
1--WE recognize that many Of our mi
crobic diseases, especially Of the exam.
thematic type. eliminate their toxic ele-
!nent very largely through the medium
Of the skin. which undelg0es extensive
exfoliation, disseminating the poison far
and wide. Isolation is reSOrted TO and
enforced most vigorously, thereby check
ing the spread Of the disease, and then
diSinfectants lavishlv used cause the de-
structi0n Of the offending armies. In
the era Of scientific prophylaNis conse-
quent upon the introduction OF the mi
crCscope, tacteriologv and antiseptics
we find a steady decline cf opidemics
either developing IL the outer world or
il our hospital wards. Yet accidental
NEGOTIATIONS Of tuberculosis. smallpox
and vaccinia, as We'll as more horrible
diseases. still exist ana are but demon
STATIONS Of either an unavoidable cause
or a faulty observance OF established
data.'
DR.. Brelter gives q thorough discus
sion as to what may be the result Of con-
-act Ct the hands. He declares that with
men who are of Clearly habits. but who
have acquired disease and such as they
would wish to hide from their fellow
nen, the specific bacillus Of this disease
has been found in filth collected from
the hand. He has found tubercle bacilli
II the dirt taken from the hand of the
man suffering from tuberculosis, the
Alebs-Loetller microbe among cases of
suspected diphtherla and had no doubt
that the specific germs Of every microbiC
disease may aud would lie found in mil
lions on the surfaces Of the hands il
proper experimentation were made. H.
proceeds a. follows:
Many victims Of scarlet fever, both
n the early and deSquamative stages
~sE'1-a4As LIZ 1olltl, 4 waning II
streets Ct every large city ready to in
graft upon the moist hand Of any chance
acquaintance the prolific virus Of tbs
disease. The same may be said Of per
sons with pulmonary tuberculosis
whose hands and handkerchiefs, through
constant wlping Of the mouth, are fou
and saturated with the bacteria ladeI
eXpectoratiou Of the disease. Tubercu
lo>is Of the hand, the lesion large Oh
small in area, often painless and un
recognized as such for "a long while ant
perhaps untreated, is By no means az
infre4uent occurrence. Scabies, w
know, has a marked prediction for th'
hand. Need | mention others: Now
whether these conditions are the result
Of hand TO hand contact or not does no
matter. The conditions themselves arr
dangerous elements, and 1t Is the con
6ideration Of such factors in the causa
tion Of disease that we are studying.
cot course the r.Ucous membrane
serves as a better pabulum for the inva
sion and development of micro organ
is!ns, but the skin is not absolutely neg
"tlve III that respect, n If 1t We're i
would make little difference, as thu
two, skin and mucous membrane, ar
very often in close opposition with eacl
other. We know that the hand has car
ried bacteria to the mouth, disseminat.
ing c%ontagion in that way. Typhoid fe
yer, Asiatic cholera, diphtharia and 9th
er diseases are known to have been pro
duced that way. Why search through
medical Libraries for similar and per
haps more conclusive violence? 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 antisep
tics-with these enemies, there is nc
reason why we should unnecessarily and
under the cloak Of custom invite them
and then leave them to do their harm.
"Some may look upon this subject
with derision. Nevertheless the truth il
this: No matter how small the percent.
age Of evil consequences arising from
this universal handshaking, the total
number, in view Of it's extensiveness,
must necessarily be great. The subjec,