Rock Island Argus., 1901-08-22
DANGER IN A SHAKE.
A LEARNED oIsoUlsITIoN ON DIS
EASE TRANSFER.

/ suits Prom Hand Clasping.
Is it possible for one man to oommu-
nicate disease to another by the shaking
of hands?
If this question be true, should the
custom be abandoned or should it be
modified under medical instruction SC
as to minimize the danger?
The existence of micro-organisms
inimical TO life and health has been es-
tablished beyond dispute. DIR. Breiter
founds his thesis, recently printed in
The Medical Record, on this hypothe-
sis. But his leading point, insisted up
ON with much force, is the danger which
is hidden in the apparently harmless
and sometimes pleasing custom of shak-
ing hands. He says:
"That the surface of the human body
is very hotbed for the propagation of
a great variety of micro organisms
Fuerbinger. Mittman, Bizzozero. Ma
giora and Welch have elucidated most
conclusively. 1t is certainly beyond the
shadow of a doubt that in the presence
of a predisposing factor and sometimes
even without that the micrObic diseases
| are ushered into existence by their indi-
vidual prototypes, this being essentially
brought about by contact in some way
| of the two contingent forces. Modern
surgery is founded on this principle.
/ The carefulness with which we prepare
our hands and surgical instruments be-
fore and after a surgical operation well
exemplifies the Importance of a famil-
| iarity with its dangers i'll every sense.
1--WE recognize that many of our mi
crobic diseases, especially of the exam
thematic type, eliminate their toxic ele-
ment very largely through the medium
of the skin, which undergoes extensive
exfoliation, disseminating the poison far
and wide. Isolation is resorted to and
enforced most vigorously, thereby check
ing the spread of the disease, and then
disinfectants lavishly used cause the de-
struction of the offending armies. In
the era of scientific propbylaXis conse-
quent upon the introduction of the mi
croscope, bacteriOlogy and antiEeptics
we find a steady decline of epidemics
either developing in the outer world or
in our hospital wards. Yet accidental
inoculations of tuberculosis, smallpox
and vaccinia, as well as more horrible
diseases, still exist and are but demon
strations of either an unavoidable cause
or a faulty observance of established
data
DR.. Breiter gives thorough discIs-
sion as to what may be the result of con-
tact of the hands. He declares that with
men who are of cleanly habits but who
have acquired disease and such as they
would wish TO hide from their fellow
men, the specific bacillus of this disease
has been found i'll filth collected from
the hand. He has found tubercle bacilli
in tho dirt taken from the hand of the
man suffering from tuberculosis, the
Klebs-Loeffler microbe among cases of
suspected diphtheria and had no doubt
that the specific germs of every microbio
disease may and would be found in mil
lions on the surfaces of the hands if
proper experimentation were made. He
proceeds as follows:
MANY victims of scarlet fever, both |
in the early and desquamative stages, |
the latter, are walking the !
streets of every large city ready TO in |
graft upon the moist hand of any chance !
the prolific virus of the |
disease. The same may be said of per- |
sons with pulmonary tuberculosis, |
whose hands and handkerchiefs, through /
wiping of the mouth, are foul /
and saturated with the bacteria laden
of the disease. Tubercu-
losis of the hand, the lesion large or
small in area, often painless and un-
as such for long while and
perhaps untreated, is by no means an
infrequent occurrence. Scabies, we
know, has a marked predilection for the
hand. Need / mention others? Now
these conditions are the result
Of hand to hand contact or not does not
matter. The conditions themselves are
dangerous elements, and it is the con-
sideratiOn of such factors in the causas
ion of disease that we are studying.
"Of course the mucous membrane
'erves as a better pabulum for the inva-
ion and development of micro organ
SINS, but the skin is not absolutely neg
tive III that respect, and if it were it
would make little difference, as the
wo, skin and mucous membrane, are
'ery often in close opposition with each
,ther. We know that the hand has car
led bacteria TO the mouth, disseminat- ;
ng contagion in that way. Typhoid fe-
-er, Asiatic cholera, diphtheria and 9TH |
r diseases are known to have been pro-
uoed that way. Why search through '
D6UlCdL IOI anu |
aps more conclusive evidence? The 1
ubject has passed the stage of novelty. {
10 while we professional people are by {
eason Of our profession forced to invite
nd then to battle-for we have antisep- ]
ics-with these enemies, there is no !
eason why we should unnecessarily and
nder the cloak of custom invite them
nd then leave them TO do their harm.
"Some may look upon this subject
nth derision. Nevertheless the truth Is
his: No matter how small the percent ]
ge of evil consequences arising from {
mis- universal handshaking, the total 1
umber, in view of its extensiveness,
lust necessarily be great. The subject
] deserving of serious consideration. {
physicians and surgeons
ill accord it. -