The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1898-01-20
CHARIOT OF DISEASE.
Money Performes a Loathsome and
Deadly Function

Money PerfOrmes a Loathsome and
Deadly Function.
A paper read at the last Mothers Meeting.
The proposition that "Money is a
medium OF exchange values" is quite
thoroughly understood; but how few
have ever stopped to think of
moneys belDg-as it certainly is
one OF the greatest mediums of ex-
change of disease virus.
Our common currency is one of the
frequent and effectual carriers OF
disease germs and deadly virus from
two causes: First, because of its
varied, constant, and unrestricted
eircula ton. 1t goes everywhere, from
the palace to the pesthouse, from
purity TO pollution. Second, the
great majority of persons habitually
put money in their mouths, just as
they do a pencil or pen.
Ladies will invariably, in making
| change, take one piece from purse,
put it between the lips for convent
! ence and hold it there while they
! tumble over divers coins, buttons,
| pins, bangles, street car checks. and
receipts in search for a coin of the
| proper denomination Co make the
, required change. The lips, more
than any other portion of the
anatomy, are apt to be chappe1 or
| blistered. making them most suscep-
tible to inoculate.
Watch a twenty five cent piece for
four days: Wednesday it is taken
from the bank bright and clean, and
carried for few hours in a satin
lined, perfumed alligator purse 1t
| pays a cab fare and goes into a dirty
| old pocket with questionable asso
ciates. 1t buys IL plug of tobacco,
| goes into till, but in less than an
hour is given out in change to an
| old consumptive, who ties it up in
the corner of a handkerchief that is
completely loaded with germs, where
1t remains over night.
Thursday morn it is given out to
the servant girl to buy milk. She
holds it in her mouth while she ties
her shawl over her head, rushes out
to the wagon and pays it to the milk
man, who, for convenience, holds it
in his mouth while he gets out his
purse to find the required change
An hour later it is passed ia change
and goes into house where there Is
diphtheria, scarletina or typhoid
| fever. Here it remains over night
and is used for a tooth cutter by q
feverish child
Friday morn it is spent for bread
At noon it is given to a business man
on his way home to lunch; on his
arrival he finds his little boy wants
to go to the circus Papa gets out
his pocketbook, takes out the quar-.
! ter, puts it into his mouth while he
puts the pocnetbook away and gives
Willie the money. Mamma takes
the quarter holds it between heI
lips while she adjusts the little
urchin's cravat, places the money il
his hand, cautions him not to lose it
kisses him goodby, and he is gone
with a bound. The first occasion he
has TO use his hands he will put the
J quarter in his mouth 1t is spent al
the circus; passes through hands
and is held between lips that ar,
| reekiDg with the most deadly viru.
| of the most loathsome disease
Saturday morn it finds it's way
from saloon to bank. At thret
O'Clock Saturday afternoon, the
bankers daughter may be seen witt
that polluted, virus ladened quarter
between her lips, waiting to buy t
ticket to the matinee.
Every physician of extensive prac-
tice meets with case after case O
diphtheria, scarletina, typhoid fever
tuberculosis, smallpox or cholera
the origin of which cannot be traced
to any of the usual causes, modes O
Injection or incubation.
Paper money, while not so ire
quently placed in the mouth, he
comes far more filthy than coin, anC
is doubtless quite as often the chariot
of deadly virus, when viewed from q
health point of view.
Until some precautionary measuI
is adopted, il is well TOR those who
value life and health to keep money
out of their mouths.