Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-02-27
BITE OFF CIGAR END
LITTLE CLIPPERS A MENACE TO
HEALTH.
COVERED WITH BACTERIA
Contagion Readily Passed From
Mouth to Mouth Through the Ma
chimes Found on Public Counters
Chicago Health Departments At
tention Called to the Danger.

Public cigar cutters used for the
clipping of cigars at all cigar stands,
of winch all cities have many. are pro-
nounced a menace to health by the
Chicago health department on account
of their germ-carrying proclivities.
They will be abolished by the depart
mept if the health commissioner finds
he has the authority to rid the public
| of the pest
The attention of the health depart
ment was called to the fact that a Ger
| tain doctor had discovered twenty
eight different kinds of bacteria in the
| cigar ends found in cutter in one CT
the prominent downtown saloon cigar
! cutters.
| DR.. AdOlph Gehrmann, city bacter-
| iologist for Chicago, acknowledged
| that the little automatic machine was
a most dangerous conveyer of dis
ease germs and said it was to be
hoped the department would drive
them from Chicago as it would cast
| forth leper.
In olden days when men bought a
cigar they bit the end of it off in order
to get draft or they cut away the tip
with a pocket knife. Then the en-
terprising inventors created a ma
chine at first simple and later more
complex, which would nip away the
closed end of the fragrant roll.
While many men still prefer to bite
the ends from their favorite brands of
cigars and some few carry a cutter
attached to their key or watch chain,
the great bulk of American smokers
apply their cigars to the little knife
that runs by a watch-spring appar-
atus.
Many men, when they take cigar
from the box, place it in their mouths
and thus wet the end with their
sputum. Then they decide to light
the weed and stick it in the clipping
machine. There is where the trouble
begins. If the man has a contagious
disease the germs are left on the
knife of the clipper, and the next man
who clips his cigar gets them in his
mouth. Besides, the clippings are
packed and sold for smoking in pipes
Most any sort of contagious disease
may be conveyed by the cigar clip
per- says DR.. Gehrmann. While to-
bacco in solution is in a sense germi-
cidal it will not have time or proper
conditions in the cutter to kill germs
before another man places his cigar
in the machine. If a man has a cold
sore or cracked lip the cigar is sure
fn in vii no
contagion is spread. This disease is
so dreaded and incurable that the ma
chimes ought to be abolished to pre-
vent it's transmission alone, in the
estimation of DR.. Gehrmann.
tuberculosis is perhaps the most
dangerous disease that may be con-
tracted from the knife, say the doc
tors of the health department Pneu.
monia, diphtheria, fevers and small
pox, it is said, may be easily carried
by means of the cigar cutters.
The industry of the cutters for
spreading disease has been known to
doctors for some time, and several
psychologists have made analyses of
the clippings to determine to what ex-
tent their suppositions were true. In
every case many different sorts of
bacilli have been discovered and the
matter was at last brought to the at
tention of DR.. Gehrmann.
Dr. Gehrmann says he thinks the
health department has power to re-
move the cutters from the city with
out any special ordinance being
passed by the council. 1t is expected
that the crusade will be started soon
IF it is found to be impracticable to
abolish the clippers an attempt will
be made to educate the smokers to
point where they will either return to
the old method of biting the tips
from their cigars or carry cutter
of their own.
The Chicago health department has
issued pamphlet on contagious dis
eases for the information of the gen
eral public, but the attention of the
department was directed to the cigar
cutters too late to have the warning
| incorporated. 1t is the intention OF
| the department to issue such pamph-
| lets from month to month for the
general education of laymen in the
care of diseased and well persons.
Health Commissioner Arthur r.
Reynolds favors for the most part
campaign of education rather than
one of law for the removal of danger
Gus practices But the order against
splitting on the floors of public halls
/ and vehicles shows that some acts
| must he forhidden The deDartment
has about come to the conclusion that
the public will have to be deprived of
the use of public cigar clippers. as
he educational plan would not be apt