The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1904-06-26
GERM FEAR is A CRAZE
MILLIONS DESTROYED DAILY, BUT
STILL OTHER MILLIONS.
Ingenious Devices for killing MI
crobes as Result of Antiseptic Fad
-Germfcfdai Doormats and
Aseptic Wells.
Buffalo Express.


Germ fear is feature of the TWEEN
tieth century. There is an antiseptic
OF germ-destroying craze. The public,
or part of, it, awakened, at last to
the existence and the peril of germs,
Demands little too frantically, per-
haps-germ protection.
In response to this demand there
are offered to the public many strange
and ingenious devices. The object of
these devices Is the prevention of all
such diseases as arise from the swal-
lowing OF germs, or their touch, or
their inhalation. Thus:
There are on the market money
scoops-silver instruments of pocket
size-wherewith to handle unsterilized
coins.
There are germicide doormats. These
being stepped upon in the right spot,
emit a spray of highly volatile huid
that is supposed to render harmless
the millions of disease germs gathered
on the shoes amid the dust and mud
of the cities.
There are wind wells, for men no less
than women, to be worn over the
mouth and nose as preventive of the
inhalation of germs.
There are fumigating attachments
for letter boxes. These, on being
compressed, are guaranteed to sterilize
the recipients mail before he touches
it
There are hanging tubular baths for
Railways. The ends of canes and
umbrellas. dipped in these baths, come
forth clean of germs.
There are aseptic communion cups,
with tiny rotating brushes that wash
the cups edges as they pass from one
COMMUNICATE to another.
There are generators that sterilize
carpets, walls. clothing. books. etc.
There are pocket lamps that emit a
germ-killing vapor. These are for
the cleansing of cups at public drink
ing fountains and for other purposes.
1t may be doubted If so great a fear
of germs as all these devices indicate
Is altogether sane. But 1t is, at any
rate, fear that does more good than
harm. Between the general sanitary
conditions of the present and the past
the contrast is amazing, and in the
bringing about OF that contrast the
public fear of germs plays it's part.
In one of the London hospitals they
still preserve as relic bed of four
teen or fifteen feet wide. In that bed
in the past a dozen patients would lie
side by side, one with consumption,
typhoid fever, and so on.
1t is different today. Today con-
tagion and infection are guarded
against by misers. And still those
precautions increase Every month,
every week. some new preventive of
the spread of disease is devised.
Going Cunning for Germs.
And there has sprung up the germ
hunter-the health faddist-who hunts
germs as sportsman hunts game. In
Vulnerable are the weapons wherewith
10 hun
good place to examine these weapons
Is surgical instrument shop.
A surgical instrument dealer, on be-
ing asked to exhibit his various germ
destroyers, pointed to a doormat. 1t
was like any other doormat of rubber
only a lemon shaped rubber bulb was
attached to it.
What" said the visitor. 'is that bulb
fort"
TIL show you." the dealer answered
He stood upon the mat and he COM
pressed the bulb with his toe. Imme-
diately a silver-colored mist arose. For
an instant he stood in this mist. ankle
deep. Then, as quickly as 1t had
arisen, the mist disappeared. leaving the
mans shoes and the bottoms of his
trousers quite dry.
Did you notice that spray of volatile
huid?" he said. We'll that was aSspray
of germicide or disinfectant. This is
patent germicide doormat This mat
cleans your feet when you come in OF
the disease germs gathered in the mud
and dust"
Pocket Money Scoops.
"A remarkable mat" said the visitor
Does it SELF"
TT sells WELL" the other answered.
"AIl germ killing devices sell we'll IN
this age. This Is the age of germ
fear"
He took from a case an armful of
glittering objects. They were of glass
and silver and their shapes were
strange.
"All these Instruments" he said, kill
germs or ward off germs. 1 will ex-
plain them to you"
He pointed to a small silver scoop.
That is a money SCOOP" he said. "a
number of health faddists carry scoops
in their pockets. They know that the
average coin has on 1T about 100000
germs-germs of consumption, of small
pox, of typhoid of diphtheria-and,
therefore. they will not touch a coin
with their fingers until 1t has been
sterilized. When you give them change
they receive it in their scoops instead
of in their hands. Thence 1t goes int ,
their sterilized purses, to be thorough
ly fumigated at home. I know three
men and two women who use these
money scoops. The scoops are made OF
silver and they cost 81 apiece"
He took up a tiny Tampa lamp with
two wicks that rose out of a cake OF
sulphur. In the middle of the cake
of sulphur there was a vial of trans
parent fluid.
DlsInfecting Drinking Cups.
This is a pocket fumigator," he said
You take the stopper from the vial
and light two wicks, and thereupon a
vapor deadly to every kind of germ
arises. The pocket fumigator is an
piled by the germ hunter to the public
drinking cups in railway stations. TO
plates and goblets in dubious restau-
rants to towels in doubtful hotels. The
germ hunter knows that many persons
have contracted incurable and dreadful
diseases from the use of public Guns
and towels He knows that a small
towel may have a germ population as
great as the human population of the
world. Hence you see him, in a wash
room or a railway station. bringing
forth his lamp. lighting it, and direct