The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-03-04
THE RISKS OF SHAVING.
DANGER FROM THE BACILLUS IN
THE BARBER'S SHOP.


means of facilitating the troublesome
operation. Soap is said to extract the
oily matters from the hair and thus
10 render it brittle. so that the blade
OF the razor saws throuh it easily, for
after all, shaving is a delicate saving
process. With sensitive skins, of
course a soap of good quality and pre-
ferably free from alkaline excess is de-
sirable. on the other hand. it might
be thought that an excess of alkali
would prepare the beard more readily
than a pure soap or superfatted soap.
The corrosive effect Of alkali, however,
leaves no doubt as TO which descrip-
ton of soap should be used. Soap
probably plays a more important role
than that of a saponifier of the natur-
al oil of the hair. In spite of the fact
that those who use the razor frequent
" cut themselves, yet it is rarely that
anything more serious than a cut fol-
lows, the slight wound generally heal
ing quickly and the risk of septlcae-
mia arising in this way would seem
TO be almost nil. In the majority OF
cases therefore it is clear that the ra-
zor blade must be bacteriologically
clean--i e., free from septic matter
which may be attributed to the TACT
that probably it is dipped into hot or
sterilized water before use, or else that
the soap lather is antiseptic The lat
ter explanation seems the more prop
able of the two. The amount of soap
rubbed on the skin is considerable II
the shaving is to be in any degree
comfortable, and soap has consid-
cradle antiseptic power, b
per cent. solution being SUI
ficient to destroy the typhoid bacil-
lus. There can be little doubt there
fore that the skin is rendered sterile
by the liberal application of soap, and
this fact is in favor of any cut that
may be made remaining healthy and
without any serious consequence In
a word. soap in the operation of shaw
ing, not only facilitates the process
hut plays the same valuable role when
the shaver is unlucky enough to cut
himself as does the antiseptic in sur
gery.-The London Lancet.
shave sir? Yes, sir, your turn
The barber, with a bland smile, waves
his hand with quick Continental court
esy toward a vacant seat.
tifully upholstered in red velvet 1t
reminds the imaginative man-if he
has never seen the actual thing-of the
electrocuting chair which dispatches
American murderers in highly rehn-
ed and aesthetic manner. one! You
fall into a graceful reclining posture.
Two! Your head drops back at an
angle of 80. Three! Up go your legs.
Beautiful, up to date, luxurious!
lOf course. red velvet, or whatever
the upholstery may be, harbors good
deal of dust, butt doesn't snow so
what does il matter?
True, before your own head has rest
ed on the padded cushion the miscel-
laneous heads of a number of other
worthy citizens have been supported
on the self-same spot. Some of them
came in hurriedly. They were very
warm and perspired freely. But they
soon cooled down on the red velvet
pad. Some were suffering with eczema
and other skin diseases prevalent
among meat-eating men who lead Sc
dentary lives But here again the red
velvet pad was useful in relieving To-
cal irritation during the five minutes
shave. If you don't think of these
things-and people haven't time to
think much Neutrality-suspicious. head is
quite comfortable on the red velvet
pad. even though it be the breeding
place of the playful bacillus.
Bacillus DispOrted Himself.
So, too, you do not shudder when
the barber, affably telling you that it
is a wet day-as if you had not just
spoiled your new hat-thrOws round
your form with a Loie Fuller-like
flourish a cloth that has already done
service with a score of customers, and
dabs down your neck with clammy
fingers a towel that has been tucked
under the Adams apple of the man
who just went out. blowing his nose,
and who for the next two weeks will
be laid up with influenza.
But what does it matter? The hum
cry bacillus does his biting quietly.
He is not like the domestic parasite
who leaves his mark. No, no; the bac-
cillus is a willy creature, and is on
the side of the barber, who does not
want his customers scared away.
Swish! swash! shck The shaving
brush descends with graceful evolu
lions upon your stubbly chin. And the
wee bacilli laugh, and crack jokes with
each other. 1t is joke, is it not? You
see, the thick lather of the soap sticks
in the upper reaches of the bristles,
and although each customer gets a
amount VI lI6SH oOdps ne dlSO
gets some of that left behind by his
predecessor. And so the little bacilli
have a merry time.
You don't mind, of course. A free
born Englishman is not going to be
frightened by a bacillus of fifty mill
lion billion bacili. Didn't we beat the
Beers?
If you have time you get your hair
cut. Excellent idea. 1t is so healthy
10 keep ones hair short.
He MOcketh at Fear, and is Not At
frighted.
So the barber, with a sensational lit
tie bit about the latest murder at the
tip of his tongue, and a close oothed
comb at the tips of his fingers scratches
the scurf out of your head, some of
which falls on the aforesaid cloth
round your person, mingling with that
of other customers, while a small por-
ton remains in the ridges of the comb
combined also with other varieties of
dandruff. This done, he ships at your
head with scissors, which have shorn
the locks of a dozen other customers
this morning.
And the amiable bacillus cackles:
THE machine brush, sir?" Why, GER
tainly
Doubtless you did not read that anec-
dote by the editor of the Lancet about
lady who on her children returning
from school, where they had had scar