Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1899-11-23
GERMS IN TELEPHONES.
DR.. Emanuel Friend Finds Bacilli In
Testing the Receivers.

DR.. Emanuel Friend, after making
tests of ten telephone mouthpieces in
downtown business houses, finding the
germs of infectious diseases in nine Of
them, advocates the passage of an Or
dinance requiring the daily disinfection
of telephone receivers. The tests
were made in the laboratory OF the
Michael Reese Hospital by Koch's iso-
lation method. Scrapings from sepa-
rate instruments were placed in sepa-
rate cultures and the examination
showed that some of the disease germs
were pus-forming microbes.
DR.. Friend suggests the use of a So
luton of bichloride of mercury or
per cent. solution of carbolic acid for
disinfecting purposes. He says that
while he has not found the bacilli of
consumption in any telephone he has
no doubt they are present in many in
struments.
Some weeks ago officials of the Chi
cago Telephone company were visited
by men who are exploiting a patent
germ-killing attachment for telephone
mouthpieces, who wished to ascertain
whether N Cur experience the trans
mission of disease from the use Of tele-
phones had been noticed" said Gen
eral Manager A. S. Hubbard. "Our in
formation was to the effect that nc
authenticated cases of this kind had
been reported in the country. Later
they required if they might have an
examination made of mouthpieces in
use in Chicago, and were given every
opportunity in the way of obtaining
mouthpieces from busy public tele-
phones and others. Presumably the
examination published today is the
enc which was made at their instiga-
ton. At about the same time the Chi
cago Telephone company took the mat
ter up with the city officials, and ar
examination is to be made under the
direction of the Chicago board Of
health by DR.. Wynkoop."
DR.. Hilbert w Hill, director of the
psychological laboratory of the board
OF health in March last began an in,
vestigation of the question whether
telephone transmitters constitute {
menace to the public health by reason
of the presence of disease-producins
bacteria. His report has recently beer
submitted to the board of health
Thirteen telephones which are sub
jected to an extraordinary amount o.
daily use were chosen. The attemp
was made to get specimens Of bacteri;
from the inside and outside of thu
transmitters attached to the telephones
in question. The results OF the at
tempt were negative, as the cultures
prepared from the specimens obtained
failed to show the presence of bacteri;
dangerous to health.
1T may therefore be concluded" say
DR.. Hill, that these telephones did no
on the day of examination constitute
foci from which bacterial disease coult
be readily distributed. Nevertheless, /
is doubtless possible that Infection
diseases may be conveyed from on
user. not by infection of the transmit
ters through the expired air, strict.
considered, of the diseased user, blu
through his saliva or sputum deposite,
on the transmitter, either through act
ual contact of the wetted lips to tn
transmitter or in the form OF minut
particles OF liquid detached from tn
liquids OF the mouth by coughing o
other strong exploratory breaths. PraC
tically, then, the telephone transmitte
cannot be eonsiderd dangerous sourc
Of disease, while at the same time II
possible action as an occasions
medium for the carriage OF infectio
must be admitted
DR.. Hill recommends the use OF
liquid disinfectant-e. g., per cen