The Savannah morning news., 1902-02-23

stance, doctor with a long beard in
examining a diphtheria case might
very well accumulate the germs OF the
disease while he was bending down to
examine a patient. A child with the
disease might cough and the doctor
beard might collect the germs, which,
when dry, could very easily be trans
united I'm this way to another patient.
Understand, l do not say IL has been
done, but 1t could be done. The danger
is less in the case of the general prac-
titioner than i'm the case of the sur
geon, whose whiskers might not only
interfere with his work, but might col
lect the deleterious elements Of some
pus filled cavity, which, drying, might
be transmitted to some other hospital
patient For that reason, perhaps,
many Of our surgeons are smooth shaw
en-, or at least wear only the mus
tache."
One of DIR. Parks colleagues, to
whom the writer was referred by the
director o fthe board, spoke of the dan
ger to health resulting more especially
from bearded doctors.
Undoubtedly the beard is a germ
carrier" he said very positively. Il
could give you the names of three or
four well-known physicians whose
large mortality records are believed to
be due to the fact that they wear long
flowing boards, which transmit dis
ease. IL would be discourteous profess
sionally to give you their names, and
for the same reason you must not
mention mine. There Is one specific in
stance which came under my notice.
We were operating on an accident
case, and the chief surgeon was a man
with a long beard. In sewing up the
wound this surgeon accidentally all
lowed the ligature to touch his beard.
IL brushed through the ends of the
hairs ever so slightly. We took care
full note of the part of the ligature
that had touched the hairs OF the
beard, remembering just where that
part rested In the wound. And we were
not surprised when "A small citch-ab-
cess formed around the portion OF the
lgature that had touched the hairs Of
the beard. Clearly the germs from the
surgeons whiekers had infected the
previously sterilized ligatures.
at Is impossible that a practitioner,
and particularly a hospital operator,
bending down over the breasts and
the mouths Of the diseased all day
long, as some of us do, should not run
the risk OF transmitting contagion
through the medium Of beard. In
fact, you have only to look around you
to note the poss Utilities of disease
which may result from the wearing Of
boards. Some time ago a Columbia
College investigator went into the ele-
waited trains and collected pieces OF
the mating and samples of the air
from the cars. He did the same in the
ferry houses, the railway stations and
the churches. He took his sample TO
the laboratory OF the College OF Ply
sioians and Surgeons, and when cul-
lures were made he produced an APP
palling number OF bacteria, showing
the unhygienic condition OF the va
rious public places he had visited.
Now, the bacteria flying In the air OF
the elevated trains, for Instance, could
not fail 90 find lodgment In the boards
OF the passengers. IL might be said
that they would also find lodgment on
the clothes OF the passengers as well,
but those clothes are comparatively
much further removed from the
mouths and nostrils OF the wearers
and from the mouths and noatriis OF
the other passengers crowded hard In
the rush hours against the wearer Of
the beard"
Obserya TONS made az MOntsOure's
Observatory showed that the CIR 81
Paris averages 800 bacteria per cubic
meter. and the ar ~ New York was
shown by DR. Firth 81 Columbia Col
ieFe % BE- ~ bad Dr.. Firth construct
81 90 apparatus Tor obtaining samples
~ ar in The y trains M the stations
and other public places where sarge
crowds gather 49, RpInfntpr looked
ike an Ordinary satchei. Dui n had =
vacuum pump uvncrniel within m. anI
q hole cue in the eide 30 uaaf naulpies