The St. Louis Republic., 1903-10-18
Death in Many Forms Said 10
Lurk in Busy City Sweep
crS' RrOOmS.
EXPERTS ASK A CHANGE.
All Paved Highways Should BE
Thoroughly Wet Before They
Are swept, 1t Is
Urged.

The recent experiments in this country
and in Europe with the disease germs col
lected on gelatin plates from the Just
OF city streets. says the Scientific Amer
lean. demonstrates almost 10 a certainty
that our municipal health would be great
ly improved II there We're some simple
method provided 10 keep the dust from
entering our hCmes and lungs.
The tests made with the germs thus col
lccted Indicate that people in large cities
are practically living directly over a
cave Of furies" and that all around cx-
ist the bacteria and microbes OF score
or more OF dangerous diseases.
II this aust remained spread over the
streets Of the city it would do llttle harm.
but every wind blows II around ard ev-
cry street cleaner sweeps mp enough OF IL
10 destroy a whole houseful Of people.
There IS something insidiously danger
Gus in the street sweeper's broom.
Death actually turks therein far more
than In the filthy corners Of the streets
left untouched by broom or wind.
Sunshine destroys more disease germs
than any other agency Of nature. and
when the direct rays Of the sun can pene-
trate 10 the heap Of filth and dirt the de-
strvction is great
The street sweeper's work of stirring
up the disease germs Of the avenue is
consequently partly checked in its dIreful
results. by the action OF the suns rays.
which have better opportunity tu reach
the floating particles OF dust than when
they are covering the streets in thick
layers. But the dust disturbed by the
broom IN dark streets and alleys Is not
thus purified.
ET-SWEEPING CAUSES Ills
The experts appointed by the Paris Ned
ical Society 10 investigate the subject OF
street dust in its relationship 10 diseases
and their spread reported that the only
Fafe way u cleanse the public thorough
fares was 10 flush them with water one
good hydrant. with fair pressure OF
water. would do more toward cleaning the
streets than half a hundred sweepers.
The latter would merely collect the
coarse and mere visible pieces OF dirt and
cart them away, while the nne. lmpaipa-
hie dust which contained the disease
germs would be left floating around in
tfe air or distributed in our open win
Gows.
Finishing the streets with a good force
OF water would carry the germs away
through the sewers and. in case Of con-
sumption Ee-ms. they would be effectually
prevented from rising into the upper air
Ter the people to breathe.
A pile OF filth may reek with poisonous
disease germs. and yet, II kept most the
danger TO those living near by may be
comparatively small When the dry. warm
weather comes. however. the germs are
s@pHrsted from their environments and
float in the air.
Une Of the most satisfactory solutions
10 the dust problem comes from Germany
where a number Of chemists have been
making extensive eX1--iLentS with the
germs collected from the dust OF Berlin
and Vienna.
by s-prlnkIing chemicals Of a powerful
nature in the streets once a week, or once
every fortnight. all disease germs are de
stToyed. These chemical disinfcctants Of
hn or ~ 4fuHaF
Crly be called. insecticides. are prepared
for ordinary disease germs that are found
In the dust Cf the streets. but there are
other mixtures. suited TO specially yiru-ent
disease germs that may occasionally find
their way into particular streets or cities.
In this way il is supposed that there
would be little danger Of the diseases
spreading further by means Of the dust.
WIND SPREADS CONTAGION.
There IS every reason to believe that in
many Of our disease epidemics the dust
laden wind has been an effective agent in
carrying them from one street or town TO
another.
Sometimes the clouds OF dust have been
blown several hundred feet away and
small particles in the upper air have float
10 the earth again In the upper currents
Of air they might travel 100 miles before
descending low enough to be bTeathed in
bY people It has been estimated by Ger
man experts who have made more OF
study OF these questions than any other
nationality. that tropical diseases have.
IN this way been carried by the wind fronf
the mainland TO islands ten miles and
more in distance.
Heretofore II has been said that trOp-
ical diseases were more or less local and
ihat the germs rarely reached an altitude
Oi a few feet
But this must be modified I'm the case Of
rarms which are carried upward by means
~ fine dust. While not volatile enough
- foat to any great distance In the air.
hey Iu!sht easily he carried up there by
The wind and then distributed around over
. wide area before falling.
The germs which are destroyed b. the
warm rays OF the sun would. Of course be
Killed by this exposure to the direct sun
light. but many Of our worst disease
germs are not injured in any way by the
hot sun. They coud easily be carried
around indefinitelV