Barre evening enterprise. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-1898, 1898-05-13
DANGER IN A SHAKE.
A LEARNED DISCUSSION ON DIS
EASE TRANSFER.

~ Is IL possible for one man to comm
hlcate disease to another by the shakin,
y. Of hands?
If this question be true, should tn,
: tustom be abandoned or should it bt
modified under medical instruction SC
as to minimize the danger?
The existence of micro.organisms
: lnimical to life and health has been es.
2 tabllshed beyond dispute. DR.. Breiter
bounds his thesis, recently printed in
The Medical Record, on this hypothe.
SIS But his leading point, insisted up.
On with much force, is tSe danger which
Is hidden in the apparently harmless
and sometimes pleasing custom of shak.
ing hands. He says:
nat the surface of the human body
Is very hotbed for the propagation of
a great variety Of micro-organisms
fuerblnger, Mittman, Bizzozero Ma
glora and WEIGH have elucidated most
conclusiyely. 1t is certainly beyond the
shadow Of doubt that in the presence
OF predisposing factor and sometimes
even without that the microbic diseases
are ushered into existence by their indi.
Vldual prototypes this being essentially
brought about by contact in some way
OF the two contingent forces. Modern
surgery is founded on this principle.
Inc carefulness with which we prenare
our hands and surgical instruments be-
lore and after surgical operation well
eXempllfies the Importance of a famil-
larlty with its dangers in every sense.
= We recognize that many of our mi.
croblc diseases, especially of the exam.
thematlc type, eliminate their toxic efa-
meht very largely through the medium
7t the skin, which undergoes extensive
'Xfollation, disseminating the poison far
md wide Isolation is resorted to and
'hforccd most vigorously, thereby check.
hg the spread of the disease, and then
llslnfectants lavishly used cause the de.
tructlon Of the offending armies. In
he era of scientific prophylaxis conse.
uent upon the introduction of the mi
roscope, bacteriology and antiseptics
'e ind steady decline Of epidemics
inner developing in the outer world or
1 our hospital wards. Yet accidental
regulations Of tuberculosis, smallpox .
nd vacclnia, as we'll as more horrible
lseases, still exist and are but demon.
ratlohs OF either an unavoidable cause ..
faulty observance of established l
lta. f
Dr. Brelter gives thorough discus. J.
On as to what may be the result of con- t.
ct OF the hands. He declares that with ?
EN- who are of clearly habits, but who '
We acquired disease and such as thew -
ould wish to hide from their fellow Il
IN, the specific bacillus of this disease p
S been found in filth collected from
hand. He has found tubercle bacilli az
the dirt taken from the hand of the
N suffering from tuberculosis. the re
ebs-Loetller microbe among cases of OF
'pected diphtheria and had no doubt na
u the specific germs of every microbic
ease may and would be found in mil
Us on the surfaces of the hands if
per experimentation were made. He %
ceeds as follows: NC
Many victims of scarlet fever, both W. ".
the early and desquamative stages, M,
eclally the latter, are walking the 49,
3ets of every large city ready to in. 49, 80
1t upon the moist hand of any chance w. Wv
ualntance the prolific virus Of the w. ~
'ase. The same may be said of per. 49,
with pulmonary tuberculosis. ~, ,11
use hands and handkerchicfs through .a as
slant Wlplng of the mouth, are foul o. o.
saturated with the bacteria laden o.
of no AAOl
OF the hand, the lesion large or a ane'
II III area, often painless and un. auu
snlzed as such for long while and wy WY
APPS untreated, is by no means an =,
'quent occurrence. Scabies, we ., -
V, has marked prediction for the Ia.-,
!. Need L mention others? Now ooo1
her these conditions are the result 49, =
ana to hand contact or not does not 49,.
er The conditions themselves are aNo'
circus elements, and it is the con. 49,.
alton OF such factors in the causa- s .Ao.
u disease that we are studying. 49,
I course tho mucous membrane Wy
,os n botto, ,,,l1,,1,.' e. LYNN .I 'ol"ne whio
ana development of micro organ sr,u W.
put the skin is not absolutely neg Iii
III tEat respect, and if it were it oual,
make little difference, as the L;a'L
SKIN and mucous membrane. ara 20,
ften III close opposition with each ona -.
we know that the hand has car "
acteria to the mouth, disseminat- 10 a
ntagion in that way. Typhoid f. 1'''e'
static cholera, diphtheria and 9TH
ases are known to have been pro- ,
that way. Why search through VIZ
u libraries for similar and per over
more conclusive evidence? The 90 as We
has passed the stage of novelty. sne,r
ne we professional people are by .oou'
OF our profession forced to invite penseo
IN to battle-for we have antisep- oiene
nth these enemies, there is,no , uios'
why we should unnecessarily and ueen u
the cloak of custom invite them snelf
n leave them to do their harm. 1"oos'
10 may look upon this subject e",y'
rlsion. Nevertheless the truth is ta1 cn'
o matter how small the percent W lhue
evil consequences arising from e oMn u
iversal Misunderstanding, the total "s'er &C
) III view Of its extensiveness. Ian
cessarlly be great. The subject "1sieo
wing OF serious consideration. 'ne hal
ltlous physicians and surgeons 1nolaon
ord it."