The evening times., 1899-01-24
TELEPHONES AS :
GRIP PROMOTERS u I
Scares That Do Not Seem to
Be Soundly Based.
The Instrument Not Responsible for
Prevalence Of Colds.
Washington Physicians Believe the
Weather Causes the Maladies OF
Such Frequent Fatality.


considerable discussion in the newspapers
and among the medical fraternity regard
ing the receiving instrument of the teie-
phone as being a means of transmitting
the germs of the grip, which has been SO
prevalent in that city for the past month
or two. 1t is said that after a series OF
Investigations the New York Board OF
Health has come to the conclusion that the
telephone receiver transmits the germs OF
disease almost as well as it transmits mes
.sages, especially where the instrument is
not cleaned frequently.
Following the agitation started in New
York there has been some little discussion
here in Washington on the subject, and
more or less attention has been turned to-
ward the matter But it seems to be the
consensus of opinion that the telephone
receiver does not play any very important
part in transmitting the germs OF the grip
Health Officer Woodward, when seen by
a Times reporter and asked his opinion In
regard to the matter, said that he did not
think the telephone receiver is responsible
in any appreciable measure for the preva-
lence of the grip. He said that great
many people who never used telephones
were afflicted with the malady, so that in
their cases, at any rate, the telephones
cannot be held responsible. He further
stated that but very little was known OF
the germs of the disease. II indeed there
were any The Health Department has not
as yet recognized any particular agent as
being responsible for the large number
of cases of the grip in the District, unless
1t has been the weather. There is no doubt
in the minds of many doctors that the tel
ephone receiver may in a small measure be
responsible for the spread OF certain con-
tagious diseases the germs of which will
propagate when taken into the system, pro-
yided they meet favorable conditions for
| their growth
A person who has germs of consumption
| in his system and who goes TO the tele-
| phone is quite apt to deposit some slight
| particles of saliva or mucous from the
mouth into the receiver of the telephone
This, when it becomes dried, will commu-
nicate itself to the next person who uses
| the phone Germs of other diseases are
| often communicated in the same way, but
| the telephone has not yet been regarded
| by medical authorities as being great
/ bugbear which need be feared. Timid per-
sons who have been used to employing
| the telephone every day have no cause for
| fear now that some OF the remote DANGER
! of the use of II has been mentioned. Every
little while some doctor or scientific man
who has made deep researches in the hab-
| its of a particular species of bacteria VIII
] publish his discoveries and enumerate the
manifold ways in which the germs can
| spread. Usually he pictures the dangers
! of such propagation In such a way tnat II
seems miraculous that the population OF
| the globe is not entirely wiped out. The
counteracting influences which tend TO
check the spread of this particular kind OF
| germ are not considered, and as result
| persons who are not in the habit OF closely
| investigating the subjects which they read
| about are unduly frightened. Perhaps IN
| a month or so afterward some other scien-
tific crank Will spread broadcast his dis
| coyeries in another line of research. which
! will be as startling as those OF the hrst
man of science, and the poor mortal, VINO
probably has been living in agony since
he read about the possibilities Vf the
spread of the previously published germs,
is terroriZed to a greater extent ana MS
life made one of misery.
| Recently one of the sensational journals
in New York published long story in re-
gard TO the germs which are said to pro-
duce the grip. The animalism whlch was
alleged to have been recently discovered
was represented in numerous illustrations
and the conditions favorable to the growth
of the dread germ were given at length.
well-known physician in referring 10 the
article said that the knowledge of the ex-
| istence of germ which produces grip
has not reached the ears of the medical
and scientific world. If there is germ
which will cause the grip it is not known
to medicine, and doctors as general thing
are among the first TO know of discovery
which would so vitally affect their prac-
tice Physicians of Washington, as gen.
eral thing believe that the name of grip
is often applied to various diseases which
are entirely of the nature OF cold. This
is shown by the fact that the maladies of
a number of public men who have died re-
| Gently of pneumonia have been pronounced
during the first stages of their sickness to
| be the grip. When it became too late to
save them the true nature of the disease
from which they were suffering was dis
! covered and called by its right name. 1t is
contended by great many doctors here in
| Washington that the so-called grip Is
nothing more or less than bad cold The
| state of persons system is matter Of
considerable Importance in the develop
ment of the disease.
If the patient is all run down, to bagin
with, the cold is quite apt to affect him
seriously, and if any particular organ Of
the body is diseased or deranged the cold
will almost invariably be accompanied
| with complications which make the NAL
ady seem to be something which cannot
be called by the ordinary name OF cold.
Physicians say that there are in the med
ical records histories of cases which have
epidemic now going the rounds and COM
monty called grip. 1t is in great meas
ure due to the very changable weather
with which Washington has been afflicted
for the past two months The weather
has been unusual, even considering the
changable seasons for which this section
of the country is noted.
The sudden and constant changes have
had the effect of giving people colds who
were in any way susceptible to them, and
because so many have been thus affected
people have been led to believe that the
diseases which have resulted from these
colds were communicated by germs when
as matter of fact they were not. Were
the same weather conditions which
have afflicted Washingtonians for
some time past to be transferred to
Florida it is extremely probable that the
grip would be rampant there, or, indeed
in any other winter resort in any part OF
the country. Now that spring is not sc
very far away it can be safely predicted
that the life of the grip will be short