Omaha daily bee., 1902-02-23

has the effect OF brushing on any germs
they may contain. Again the mixer may
be perfectly healthy himself and yet &C
cumulate bacteria from the dust Of the
stable. The beard, particularly when damp.
may become an ideal germ carrier, and
on an unciean man would have great facil-
ty for the Transmission Of disease. In
the case Of the physician Il might transmit
disease IL brought in contact with Il. For
instance, a doctor with a long beard in
examining a diphtheria case might very
we'll accumulate the germs Of the disease
while he was bending down to examine a
patient. A child with the disease might
cough and the Doctors beard might col
,lect the germs, which, when dry, could
very easily be transmitted in this way to
another patient. Understand, 1 do not say
II has been done, but II could be done.
This danger is less in the case OF the gen.
eral practitioner than in the case OF the
surgeon, whose whiskers might not only
interfere with his work, but might collect
the deleterious elements of some pus-fllei
cavity, which, drying. might be transmitted
to some other hospital patient. For that
reason, perhaps, many Of our surgeons
are smooth shaver, or at least, wear only
the mustache."
One of DR.. Parks colleagues, to whom
the writer was referred by the director Of
the board, spoke Of the danger to health
resulting more especially from bearded doc
tors.
A Test Case.
Undoubtedly the beard is a germ car
rier." he said very positively. II 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 disease. II would be discourteous
professionally to give you their names, and
for the same reason you must not mention
mine, There is one specific instance which
came under my notice. We were operating
on an accident case, and the chief surgeon
was q man with a long beard. In sewing
up the wound this surgeon accidentally al
lowed the ligature to touch his beard. II
brushed through the ends Of the hairs ever
so slightly. We took careful 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 q small stitch
abscess formed around the portion of the
l~igature that had been touched by the beard,
Clearly the germs from the surgeons
whiskers had infected the previously ster-
ilized ligatures.
-'It is impossible that a practitioner, and
particularly a hospital operator, bending
dow over the breasts and the mouths OF
the diseased all day long. as some of us do,
should not run the risk Of transmitting con-
tagion through the medium Of the beard,
In fact, you ave only to look around you
to note the possibilities Of disease which
may result from the wearing Of boards
Some time ago a Columbia college in
v~estigator went into the elevated 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 samples Il
the laboratory OF the College Of Physicians
and Surgeons, and when cultures were made
he produced an appalling number of bac'
terra. showing the unhygienic condition o.
the various public places he had visited
Now, the bacteria flying In the air Of tn,
elevated trains, for instance, could not fai
to find Judgment in the boards of the pas
sengers. 1t might be said that they would
also find Judgment on the clothes Of thu
passengers as we'll, but those Globes arr
comparatively much further removed from
the mouths and nostrils Of the wearers AND
from the mouths n nostrile of the othel
passengers crowded hard In the rush hour
against the wearer Of the beard"
Impure Air.
Observations made at Montsoure's OBJ
servatory showed that the air Of Parii
averages $500 bacteria per cubic meter and
" 49, vi urna ahnurn Nv nr
Firth of Columbia college TO be ss bad
DR.. Firth constructed an apparatus for OBJ
tanning samples Of air in the l. trains, II
the stations and other public places wher'
large crowds gather. His apparatus looked
like an ordinary sachel. but 1t had
vacuum pump concealed within It and
hole cut in the side so that samples Of all
could be drawn In through the stopcocl
that protruded. II was an easy matter To-
DR.. Firth to turn on the stopcock unob'
served and secure, a quantity Of the air o
| the particular room or car In which he hap
pened to be. The air was. of course, takeI
to the college laboratory and tested. In
cubic meter Of air taken from the Queen
county court house he found 11,777 bacteria
The same amount OF air taken from a Brook
lyn church contained $500 bacteria. In
New York school room fifteen minutes afte
busting he got 44,42S bacteria from a cubt
meter. In one Of the ferry houses the bac
terra per cubic meter were 27,666. In an
other ferry house BILL. In an elevated ca
| he got ct. 444. But this was as nothing com
pared to the amount Of bacteria found o.
the floor mating Of these cars. In the re
port which he made OF this subject b
says:
''rhe use Of cocoa mats in the cars OF tn
elevated roads Of Manhattan establishes
condition tina is prejudicial. II not periloui
to the health OF passengers. These mat
absorb all the liquid filth deposited on ther
and part with It again after It has dried o
the nbers. / have estimated that on
hber one and q half inches long from tn
-..k thea mara hafWaa