The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1901-05-02
1t Would be Good for Bloomsbury.

In no other country in the world is
the filthy and intolerable practice Of
expectoration in public places so
prevalent as IN America. We have
not bettered our manners in this
respect since Charles Dickens in his
visit to the States held us up to pub
lie scorn. In his "American Notes"
he says that "this filthy custom is
everywhere recognized. The thing
is an exaggeration of nastiness, which
nastiness, cannot be outdone."
Dickens did not stop off at Altoona;
but if some successor of the great
novelist were to visit our town he
would doubtless write of it what
Dickens wrote in his day of the ma
tion's capital; "The stranger will find
it This vulgar habit of expectoratlon]
in its full bloom and glory, luxurlant
in all its alarming recklessness.
1t would be hard to beat Altoona
in the "luxuriance' of this vile prac-
uce. In public places, in the streets
at the entrance of churches the vile
ness is everywhere in evidence. Can't
something be done by the board of
health 10 put a stop to this habit,
which is not only filthy but positively
dangerous to health? Or cannot
councils do something Why not
prepare a city ordinance and enforce
| it as is being done elsewhere against
those "expectorating nuisances2"
The health commissioner of New
York has recently ma lie the following
statement which ought to arouse our
people to the danger that beset us
through splitting IN public places.
"Most of the diseases OF the res
piratory tract, including diphtheria,
measles, scarlet fever, pneumonia,
tuberculosis, influenza, and probably
all of the acute forms of bronchitis,
are the result of the action of germs
which are present In the secretions OF
that tract, and through splitting in
public places the germs producing
the diseases are widely disseminated,
being constantly carried into houses
on the soles of shoes and through the
! trailing skirts of women.
"As showing the great Importance
of this in relation to only one disease,
DR.. Crosby says, sit may be men,
toned that in the borough of Manhat-
tan last year there were over 9,oco
cases of tuberculosis reported, and
it is conservatively estimated that at
least 10000 cases of this disease
exist in the borough of Manhattan.
The vast majority of these latter, in
the infectious stage, are moving freely
around the streets of the city expector-
ating on the sidewalks. in public con-
veyances and wherever it may be con-
venient. 1t is not necessary to en-
phasize the danger which arises in this
way through the dissemination Of the
tubercle bacilli, which are the cause
OF the disease. 1t has been estimated
that one person in the active stage
of the disease may spit not less than
| 5000, 900 of these germs in the course
of twenty.fo hours.
"Through the efforts of the depart
ment of health the death rate from
tuberculosis during the last fifteen ol
twenty years has been decreased more
than one-third, and 1t is the desire
of the department to disseminate
information in regard to this disease
more widely among the people, IL
order that more intelligent and effic
lent measures may be taken for 1t:
prevention, and the prohibiting o
splitting is one of these"
| Let there be an ordinance, pre-
pared and passed by the city council
to protect US against the "expe ctorat
ing hends" of Altoona. Decenc
and regard for the public health de
| p,op1 ~ I/foouy T,;L,,,,,