The Savannah morning news., 1904-03-20

a thin layer of diphtheria bacilli. He
submitted the following table for the
consideration of the members of the
committee:
Coins injected. No. Result.
Copper pennies -. s All bacilli dead
Five-cent nickels All bacilli dead
Dimes :. ............ All bacilli dead
Piece of glass ...... Bacilli alive
Piece of paper .....2 Bacilli alive
Time elapsed after infection before
testing forty-eight hours.
According to this report the result of
the experiment showed that the cop
per, nickel and silver coins had distinct
antiseptic properties? The experiment
was then tried of dropping coins in
broth, and after twenty hours inocn-
lation OF the fluid with bacteria. the
copper and nickel coins made the boul-
lon strongly antiseptic. while the sill
yer did so only to a slight extent.
Metal Destroys the Bacteria.
Another experiment tried by the
bacteriologist was the dropping Of
coins on a nutritant gelatin. No de-
velopment of bacteria grew In the i'm
mediate vicinity of the coins. This
established the possibility that metal In
coins tended to destroy the bacteria,
and 1t was necessary to see how soon
the destruction took place. A large
number of coins were collected from
children having diphtheria and tested
six hours later for pathologic and bac-
terra. Thirty-five pennies, four dimes
and seven nickels We're taken from the
children. FROM the thirty-five pennies
diphtheria bacilli were obtained from
three and micrococci from eight. From
the seven nickels streptococci were
obtained from one and staphylococci
from two. From the four dimes strep-
tococci from one and staphylocci from
one.
The expert claims that this practical
test demonstrates that coins taken
from diphtheria cases, and equally GER
tain from other infectious cases, are
liable to spread infection, IL distrio-
uted within a few hours after contain
nation. A number of coins were taken
from persons suffering from tubercu-
losis and tested for living tubercle bac-
cilli twenty-four hours after removal.
No living bacilli could be demon
strated.
Paper Money Carries Disease Germs.
II has also been demonstrated. that
dirty paper bills collected from stores
at random showed enormous numbers
OF bacteria, among which were the
staphylococci. These occur, not only
In septic infections. but also in healthy
skin. The expert reported that from
the washings from one bill were found
1875, 900 bacteria, from another 126,000.
Two bills that had only been in use
for few months and only moderate
ly dirty, gave 1850 and 1000 respec-
lively. Upon all of these staphylococci
were found but no diphtheria or tu-
bercle bacilli.
Paper Money IL Dangerous.
The investigation so far has eatab-
lished that bacteria are not killed BY
any substance IN paper money, but
remain alive until time and drying
destroy them. No actual disease bac-
terra have as yet been demonstrated.
Experiments have been made from
time 20 time with paper money but no
attention of the results obtained have
been brought 20 the notice OF the
United states medical authorities. Sey-
eral years ago the health Department
sent 0ut warnings about nifhy money
IL Il the intention ~ CongresRnan
Gaines % have a repoft submitted tg