The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-01-28
DEADLY GERMS N SKIRTS.
MICROBES SWEPT Ur ON STREETS
NY WOMEN OF ToDAY.
Astonfshing RssuIts % ~ Auasssis
Of ths Hem Of asvssat-Dr. No.
Kechnie Tells Of the Dsnssvs
That Lurk Unaerfost n seattle.

'In the hem OF this woman's skirt
which have Just been examining foune
germs OF pneumonia, diphtheria. "
phoid fever, scarlet fever. tubercuios!.
and consumption, any one OF whicn wovic
be enough. II inhaled. to cause person
to be AFFLICTED with one Of the deadly dis-
eases mentioned"
This was the testimony Of New York
ARCHAEOLOGICAL specialist. which has been
received by DR.. Mckechnie, the Seattle
health officer. and has been investigated
further. The report was made In response
10 the request OF a woman OF New YORK,
who was anxious to know u there was
any danger In the wearing OF skirts reach.
ing to the ground, which n In general
practice. She made an ordinary shopping
tour on Broadway one Saturday after-
noon, wearing long skirt. which trai'-
ed the ground several inches behind hcr.
1t was one of the ordinary skirts wnicn
are in fashion and are quite seneraliy
worn In Seattle this winter. After she re-
turned home, she carefully bound the
hem Of the garment in damp cotton to
keep imprisoned whatever might be on u,
and submitted 1t to the chemist for anal
ysis Part Of what he found has been
told
DR.. McKechnie read Of this examination
and it's result ten days ago, and has since
been conducting Investigations AZ to the
conditions In Seattle.
Half the women who walk Town on .
shopping tour 20 home with the germs OF
some deadly disease In their skirts" no
exclaimed yesterday. II did not know
this could be so serious, or had not
thought much about It, rather until l
saw the result OF this analysis; but since
then j have been looking into the tiny
germs that are found on the sidewalks.
and tAking some observations from one VI
the prominent corners, where women
pass whenever they come down town
) 'It seems to be one of the strange fads
of the women of today to wear skirts
that trail along the ground behind them
II would be all right enough to wear them
II they would hold them UP; but II you
will watch them any Saturday afternoon
when great numbers are on a shopping
tour you will find that there Is not one
In ten who holds up her skirt any other
time than when she Is crossing the street.
The rest of the time the skirts drag
along the sidewalk like brooms and pick
UP or brush aside everything IN their
path. BY the time they have wulked a
few blocks the bottoms Of their skirts are
in a shocking conditions. One thing
makes the matter worse is that men are
in the habit Of Unfortunately expectc-
rating on the sidewalks, and whom these
trailing skirts come along they wipe up
the walks as II hand cloth had been
used"
"But what II they do; can't they wash
it or when they get homer" the sanitary
expert was asked.
do you know that those skirts con-
tain the germs Of half a dozen deadly dis
eases and that when they are taken hoiue
they are merely brushed on on the out
side. and then hung up In the closet or
dressing room, where children, II there
ara any, frequently play?" he answered.
1T is a fact. Everything this New Fork
physician has said IL true. and II a SINH
lar analysis of the bottom of a skirt worn
by Seattle woman was similarly treated
there IL no question In my mind that II
would be found just az bad.
III q man has lung. stomach or other
disease, 1t will show In his sputum, which
will be fairly alive with millions of little
bacteria. This sputum and these mi
crobes 60 to the sidewalk. and then are
taken up in the skirts. Then they ara
taken to tho home. and II anybody there
happens to be in condition to receive them
somebody is Ill In bed. and perhaps dies.
1T IL highly probable that a heavy pro-
portion Of the cases of the lung diseases
and stomach diseases we have result d.
rectly from this pernieious habit OF wear
ing long skirts on the street. The germs
of pneumonia, diphtheria, scarlet fever,
tuberculosis. consumption and q host of
other infectious diseases may be picked
UP on the streets in this way, and there
Is no question In my mind that II an anal
ysis of all the skirts that are thus
dragged along could be made they would
ho fairly a1tvA xx,ttb No v,,t, rl,as